Pernyataan Pers Bersama Perdana Menteri (PM) Singapura dan Presiden Republik Indonesia pada Leaders’ Retreat di Singapura, 16 Maret 2023
Pernyataan Pers Bersama PM Singapura Lee Hsien Loong dan Presiden RI Joko Widodo, di Singapura, 16 Maret 2023
Perdana Menteri Singapura (Lee Hsien Loong)
Your Excellency President Joko Widodo, ministers, ladies and gentlemen,
May I welcome President Jokowi and his delegation to Singapore. This is our sixth leaders’ retreat together.
There have been many significant developments since our last retreat in Bintan. The COVID situation has stabilized around the world and in Singapore and Indonesia. Cross-border travel has resumed and is picking up pace. Indonesia has enjoyed significant success in 2022. Indonesia’s G20 Presidency delivered the hard one leaders’ declaration and other concrete outcomes, including the Just Energy Transition Partnership and the creation of the pandemic fund which Singapore is happy to contribute to.
Our bilateral relationship has made good progress. In Bintan last year, President Jokowi and I witnessed the signing of the expanded framework agreements. These address three long-standing issues between Singapore and Indonesia. There was the agreement on the realignment of the boundary between the Jakarta FIR and the Singapore FIR, the defense cooperation agreement and the treaty for the extradition of fugitives. I am happy that both sides have now ratified all three agreements. We had discussed these issues many times over an extended period and have come a long way to get here. I thanked President Jokowi and his ministers for their leadership and support and hard work in getting the agreements ratified. Singapore looks forward to working with Indonesia to complete the next steps.
Last week, we jointly applied for approval from ICAO for the new arrangements under the FIR arranged agreements. Following ICAO’s approval, both countries will agree on a date for the three agreements to be implemented simultaneously. The three agreements on these long-standing issues will bring lasting benefits to both sides. The successful outcome reflects our strong bilateral relations and shows that Singapore and Indonesia can gain substantial mutual benefits through open and constructive engagement.
President Jokowi and I also discussed new areas of cooperation. First, on the digital economy. We signed a memorandum of understanding on the Tech Ex-Program today. This will allow young tech professionals from Singapore and Indonesia to undergo work exchanges and gain experience from each other’s tech industries. Our tech cooperation will strengthen ASEAN collaboration in this emerging sector and this includes working towards a digital economy framework agreement under Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship.
Secondly, on sustainability, there is much potential in the green economy sector. We sign an MoU on renewable energy cooperation today. This will support commercial arrangements on the development of renewable energy capabilities on transmission infrastructure and cross-border electricity trading. It will strengthen the energy infrastructure and energy transition, and energy security for both Singapore and Indonesia. And also, support regional initiatives like the ASEAN Power Grid, it’s a win-win outcome.
Sustainability extends to infrastructure development. We signed the MoU on sustainable, urban and housing development, which will facilitate cooperation in developing innovative financing for smart and sustainable infrastructure development and significantly will include the Nusantara capital city as a pilot.
President Jokowi and I discussed a Nusantara project at length and his vision for a green and smart Nusantara, it’s a major priority for the President and for Indonesia. Singapore is happy to support the president’s Vision. We will contribute towards knowledge sharing and joining RND [research and development] activities.
One of the MoUs today covers collaboration on knowledge sharing, capacity building and research to support the planning and development of Nusantara as a smart and sustainable city. And there have also been expressions of interest from our private sector in the project. And I told President Jokowi, we look forward to the forum which he is planning in May for investors to show them what Nusantara offers and to interest them in the project. And we will encourage Singaporean entrepreneurs and companies to participate in this.
Next, on human capital development. Last year, we launched the Human Capital Partnership Arrangement to formalize cooperation. Our people, our best resource and both countries place heavy emphasis on nurturing talent. I’m glad that many initiatives are progressing on this front. Our education Ministries Launch the Youth Mobility Program for university students to take up longer internships in each other’s countries. And we also renewed an MoU on technical and vocational, education and training and there are several other projects as well. I look forward to more interactions between our students, our educators, our civil servants, and our regional leaders.
Singapore and Indonesia have also deepened cooperation and traditional areas. Our Defense Ministries reaffirmed our strong bilateral defense ties through Indonesia- Singapore joint update on defense cooperation. The SCDF and the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency also signed an MOU on urban search and rescue.
In health cooperation, our MOU promotes the exchange of information, knowledge data, and technology in the health sector. Throughout the pandemic we cooperated closely and post pandemic we will continue to do so.
In finance, we’ve extended the bilateral financial agreement between our central banks for the fourth year in a row. This will help our countries to foster monetary and financial stability in a more volatile economic world. Besides G-to-G cooperation, our businesses are strengthening commercial linkages with one another. We have MOUs covering digital economy and Healthcare links, which form an important part of our deep multi-layered and comprehensive partnership. These are MOUs in the private sector.
The President and I also discussed regional developments. I showed him Singapore’s full support for Indonesian chairmanship and for his priorities as ASEAN chair. On Myanmar, we regret, we both regret the lack of progress in ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus. Singapore will continue working with Indonesia, and with ASEAN Members, plus ASEAN’s partners like the UN, to push for the full implementation of the Five-Point Consensus. And we’ll also work with Indonesian ASEAN members on the road map for Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership and do our part to help Timor-Leste prepare for the obligations and commitments, which it will take on when it joins ASEAN.
So, our bilateral relations are in excellent order. We’ve taken a major step forward to resolve three long-standing issues. We are ready to break new ground in fresh areas of cooperation that are deep, multifaceted, forward-looking and mutually beneficial and will make a difference to future generations. I thank President Jokowi for his steady leadership of Indonesia and his important contributions to the strong relations between our two countries. Thank you very much.
Presiden Republik Indonesia (Joko Widodo)
Terima kasih, PM Lee, atas sambutan hangat kepada saya dan delegasi. Terima kasih.
Banyak kemajuan yang telah kita lakukan sejak pertemuan kita di Bintan, pada Januari 2022. Investasi Singapura ke Indonesia naik 40 persen dan volume perdagangan kita juga naik 25 persen.
Di bidang politik, hukum, dan keamanan, ratifikasi tiga perjanjian telah diselesaikan, yaitu persetujuan Flight Information Region (FIR), kemudian perjanjian ekstradisi, dan perjanjian kerja sama pertahanan. Dan, untuk memperkuat implementasi tiga perjanjian tersebut, saya dan PM Lee sepakat untuk segera melakukan beberapa hal, yaitu memperbarui MoU antarkejaksaan, menyelesaikan MoU antarkepolisian untuk memberantas kejahatan lintas batas, kemudian membentuk defense cooperation committee dan membuat aturan teknis pelaksanaan perjanjian FIR, pertahanan dan ekstradisi.
Di dalam kaitan ini, saya menyambut baik reaktivasi patroli laut bersama untuk memperkuat keamanan maritim kedua negara dan penguatan kapasitas penanganan bencana, dan upaya pencarian dan pertolongan.
Oleh karena itu, saya menyambut baik beberapa hasil Leaders’ Retreat ini. Yang pertama, besarnya minat investor Singapura dalam pembangunan IKN Nusantara. Yang kedua, kesepakatan untuk meningkatkan investasi di bidang energi baru terbarukan, yang antara lain akan digunakan untuk pemenuhan energi kedua negara. Yang ketiga, kerja sama di bidang digital, informasi, dan data centre, dan kerja sama pengembangan SDM di bidang teknologi informasi. Dan, saat ini terdapat Apple Academy dan IBM Academy di Batam. Yang keempat, di bidang perdagangan mulai masuknya produk peternakan Indonesia untuk memasok kebutuhan ayam di Singapura. Yang kelima, penguatan pelayanan kesehatan dasar dan teknologi kesehatan, serta investasi pengembangan rumah sakit di Indonesia.
Secara keseluruhan dalam pertemuan kali ini terdapat 20 letter of intent milik swasta Singapura untuk investasi di IKN Nusantara, kemudian sembilan MoU B to B di bidang healthcare dan digital, dan tujuh MoU G to G, antara lain di bidang energi, kesehatan, dan digital.
Selain pertemuan bilateral, PM Lee dan saya juga bertukar pandangan mengenai beberapa isu kawasan, khususnya keketuaan Indonesia di ASEAN. Saya menyampaikan penghargaan atas dukungan Singapura terhadap Keketuaan Indonesia di ASEAN. Dan, prioritas Keketuaan Indonesia di ASEAN adalah menjadikan ASEAN tetap penting dan relevan bagi rakyatnya dan bagi dunia, menjaga persatuan dan sentralitas ASEAN sehingga tetap menjadi motor perdamaian, stabilitas kawasan, dan menjadikan Asia Tenggara tetap menjadi pusat pertumbuhan ekonomi. Saya juga mengundang kontribusi Singapura pada ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum yang akan diselenggarakan pada September 2023, back to back dengan KTT ke-43 ASEAN.
Kemudian, terkait Myanmar, sebagai Ketua ASEAN, Indonesia akan mendorong langkah maju implementasi Five-Point Consensus dan melakukan engagement agar semua pihak untuk membuka jalan dilakukannya dialog nasional yang inklusif, kemudian juga pentingnya pengurangan ketegangan dan kekerasan, serta memastikan bahwa bantuan kemanusiaan dapat menjangkau semua pihak yang memerlukan.
Demikian yang saya sampaikan. Sampai bertemu kembali di Indonesia dalam kesempatan KTT ASEAN. Terima kasih.