ANN/THE STAR – Singapore and Indonesia officially agreed to three landmark pacts marking a major milestone and bilateral relations between the two countries.
The three agreements, airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition, were inked during the Leaders’ Retreat between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in January 2022.
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the agreements’ entry into force was a historic landmark in Singapore-Indonesia relations that underscored the strength and maturity of the two countries’ relationship.
To commemorate the occasion, Lee and President Jokowi, as he is popularly known, spoke on the phone on March 22.
During their call, Lee reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to work closely with Indonesia to address shared challenges, and expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship will continue to break new ground.
“The agreements signal our shared commitment to working together as neighbours to secure outcomes in the best interest of both our countries,” MFA added.
The agreements come into force a year after Singapore and Indonesia jointly applied in March 2023 to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to approve the realigning of both countries’ flight boundaries.
The three agreements entering into force simultaneously resolve long standing sensitive issues in the bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring countries that go back decades.
They were carefully negotiated for a good balance of benefits for both sides so that they are durable and for the long haul, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament last February 2022.
Lee stressed the importance of the three agreements in the House in April 2023, which he said represented “major progress” in the relationship between Singapore and Indonesia. “If we had left these issues unresolved, they would have festered, and quite likely one day turned rancorous. This would have soured the entire relationship, which would have benefited neither side,” he said.
