JAKARTA (Bernama-ANTARA): Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will visit Bogor, Indonesia, on April 29 to attend the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat hosted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, according to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
This will be Lee’s seventh and final Leaders’ Retreat with Joko Widodo or better known as Jokowi.
Lee will relinquish his office on May 15 while Jokowi is ending his term in October.
At the Retreat, the two leaders will take stock of the significant progress made on bilateral cooperation during their respective tenures, including the entry into force in March 2024 of the three agreements under the Expanded Framework as well as review the progress made in areas such as defence, digital economy and sustainability.
They will also discuss a plethora of issues, including food security, energy transition, and IKN development. The discussion will also cover the development of human resources and improvement of skills, talent exchange in the digital sector, and increasing capacity in the health sector.
"Singapore and Indonesia have also made advances in bilateral cooperation in a wide variety of other areas including defence, trade and investment, and financial cooperation. During the Covid-19 pandemic, both sides also strengthened cooperation in healthcare," PMO said in a statement, Friday.
Lee will be accompanied by several ministers including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, who has been named as Lee's successor.
Also in the delegation are Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Education Chan Chun Sing.
Others in the delegation are Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health, and Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli; Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, and Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudihas revealed that the Indonesian and Singapore Leaders' Retreat at the Bogor Palace on April 29 would discuss development in the capital (IKN) Nusantara in East Kalimantan,.
"Many Singaporean companies have shown interest in collaborating to invest in IKN, including in the energy transition sector, especially for solar energy," she said in a press statement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday.
Under the agenda for the meeting between President Jokowi and PM Lee, the two leaders would review the decade-old cooperation carried out and also ensure the continuation of established cooperation and sound relations, Marsudi said.
On Friday, she accompanied President Jokowi to receive a courtesy visit from Singaporean Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan at the State Palace, Jakarta, to discuss preparations for the Leaders' Retreat hosted by Indonesia this year.
Last year's Leaders' Retreat between both nations was held in Singapore on March 16. On the occasion, the two leaders witnessed the exchange of six memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in emerging sectors, such as the digital economy, sustainability, and human capital development, as well as security. - Bernama-Antara
