PM Lee to meet Indonesia President Jokowi in Bogor for leaders’ retreat on Apr 29

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will visit Bogor on Monday (Apr 29) to attend the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

At the upcoming meeting, Mr Lee and Mr Widodo will take stock of the “significant progress” made on bilateral cooperation during their respective tenures, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Friday.

This includes three agreements under the Expanded Framework which entered into force last month. These agreements, first signed at the Leaders’ Retreat in Bintan in 2022, cover air space management, defence and extradition.

Advances in bilateral cooperation have also been made in a wide range of areas, including defence, trade and investment, as well as financial cooperation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Singapore and Indonesia also strengthened cooperation in healthcare, PMO said.

When they meet on Monday, both leaders will also review the progress made in areas, such as defence, the digital economy, and sustainability.

This will be the seventh and final meeting between Mr Lee and Mr Widodo amid leadership renewals in both countries.

In Singapore, Mr Lee will hand over the premiership to Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on May 15.

Mr Widodo will be passing the leadership reins to Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto in October, after the latter secured a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election on Feb 14.

The meeting between the leaders of the two Southeast Asian neighbours is traditionally held annually to foster bilateral relations, with the exception of 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore has been Indonesia's top foreign investor since 2014, with foreign direct investment from Singapore into Indonesia hitting US$15.4 billion (S$20.9 billion) in 2023.

In the same year, bilateral trade amounted to US$69 billion.

Singapore and Indonesia are also among each other’s top sources of visitor arrivals. In 2023, Singapore welcomed 2.3 million tourists from Indonesia, while Indonesia welcomed 1.4 million tourists from Singapore.

For the upcoming trip, Mr Lee will be accompanied by eight members of the Cabinet.

They are Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing, Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.

Dr Balakrishnan, who arrived in Jakarta on Apr 23, said he met with Mr Widodo to make sure preparations for the Leaders' Retreat are ready.

"The 7th Leaders' Retreat will be a celebration of the achievements in the past decade," said Dr Balakrishnan told reporters.

"Going even further back, relations between Indonesia and Singapore have reached new heights – so it will be a celebration of achievements. It will also be a symbol of continuity."

He said that even though the world is in an "unsettled place", Singapore and Indonesia are "doubling down on this very vital relationship".