SINGAPORE: Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto will make a two-day state visit to Singapore from Sunday (Jun 15) to Monday. It will be his first since taking office in October last year.

On Monday, Mr Prabowo will receive a ceremonial welcome at Parliament House and call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who will also host a state banquet for his Indonesian counterpart, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Sunday.

Mr Prabowo will also meet Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong for the 8th Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat. It will be both leaders’ first such retreat in their current capacities, said MFA.

“As the highest-level platform between the two countries, the annual Leaders’ Retreat is  testament to the excellent bilateral relations and strong interpersonal ties between our leaders,” MFA said in a press statement.

Mr Wong and Mr Prabowo will “review the strong and substantive cooperation between Singapore and Indonesia and chart the way forward”, said the ministry.

LONGSTANDING RELATIONSHIP

Singapore and Indonesia share a longstanding friendship and collaborate closely in areas such as defence, the green economy and connectivity, said MFA.

Expanded Framework Agreements (EFA) on key areas of  air space management, defence and extradition entered into force on March last year.

Singapore has been Indonesia’s top source of foreign investment since 2014. Last year, investment from Singapore into Indonesia amounted to US$20.1 billion.

Some flagship economic projects between both sides include the Batam-Bintan-Karimun Free Trade Zone, Kendal Industrial Park and Nongsa Digital Park. 

Meanwhile, Indonesia has consistently been among the top source of visitors to Singapore, with 2.49 million arrivals in 2024.

Both sides on Jun 13 signed three memoranda of understanding (MOUs) on cross-border electricity trade, carbon capture and storage, and a sustainable industrial zone. 

Singapore’s defence ministry and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) also maintain a strong relationship with the Indonesian defence ministry and the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI).

This cooperation extends to regional counterterrorism, maritime security and the conduct of bilateral and multilateral training, exercises and operations.

There have also been opportunities for exchanges between Singaporeans and Indonesians under the Human Capital Partnership Arrangement signed at the 2022 Leaders’ Retreat, including for youths and government officials.

Last year’s Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat was hosted by Indonesia in Bogor.

On this visit, Mr Prabowo will be accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for People's Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, Minister of Housing and Settlement Maruarar Sirait, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Investment and Downstream Industry Rosan Roeslani, and Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya.