Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong recently spoke at a joint press conference with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ retreat held in Bogor, Indonesia. At the event, they shared their views on the increased cooperation in green economy between the countries.
They spoke about the progress made in the bilateral relations over the past decade between Singapore, in partnership with President Jokowi and his team. Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong at the Joint Press Conference with Indonesian President Joko Widodo said, “We look forward to Indonesia driving the green economy in our region. He added, “Bilaterally, we are making good progress in facilitating cross-border electricity trading, and we are exploring carbon capture and storage (CSS). We also signed an MOU on community empowerment in mangrove ecosystems just a few minutes ago and I have suggested to President Jokowi that next we should look at the possibility of carbon credits.
Singapore’s minister shared the country’s commitment to deepening mutual understanding and to building strong relationships at all levels. The president of Singapore said, “Our economic ties have been another pillar of the relationship. Investments from Singapore to Indonesia have increased steadily, and cumulatively they are exceeding S$74 billion. We have also taken steps to deepen our digital economy cooperation. Earlier this year, we signed an MOU on Cooperation on Digital Transformation and now we are following up on the Tech Program which will encourage young tech professionals to gain valuable exposure in Singapore and Indonesia.”
The minister further elaborated, “We completed these agreements and they went into force last month. I thank President Jokowi and his Ministers for their role in bringing these three agreements to fruition. They show that when we work together in a spirit of friendship and openness, we can address even the most complicated issues in a pragmatic and mutually beneficial manner.”
The minister added, “From the present leadership to the next, we committed to look ahead, to build on the strong foundation, and to expand our cooperation. I am glad that President Jokowi and I are handing over the bilateral relationship in a good state to our successors. And I have every confidence that Pak Prabowo and DPM Lawrence will continue to bring the relationship to greater heights. May Singapore-Indonesia ties continue to flourish, far into the future, or as you would say, maju jaya.”
