Singapore pledged to work collectively with its partners to shape the future of the city-state during an event commemorating its 51st anniversary.

The city-state will continue to work with Indonesia to build on what it has achieved together in the past, as both countries welcome the year ahead in preparation for 50 years of bilateral relations, Ambassador Anil Kumar Nayar said during a reception for Singapore National Day in Jakarta on Wednesday evening.

“In building our future, Singapore will also continue working closely with Indonesia, which has been one of our oldest, closest and most important partners,” he said.

“I’m confident that our long-standing and constructive engagement is well positioned to continue into the future, building on a tradition of close personal relationships between our leaders,” he added, citing the close relations between Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew and former president Soeharto as a prominent example of the two countries’ relations.

Nayar also underscored the “excellent state” of bilateral relations between the two neighbors through the regular exchange of visits at the highest levels of government.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Singapore in mid-2015 and held a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, during which the two reiterated their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties, particularly in the economic sector.

Lee had earlier visited Jakarta during Jokowi’s inauguration in 2014. The leaders are scheduled to meet again at a leaders’ retreat in Semarang later this month.

They will also meet in Vientiane in September during the ASEAN Summit, where they will continue to discuss ways to boost cooperation to the benefit of both countries.

Earlier this year, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan paid a courtesy call visit to Jokowi and held subsequent bilateral meetings with ministers in an effort to boost ties. He also met his Indonesian counterpart, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi, in Vientiane during the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.

The two countries continue to build on a robust relationship, as Singapore continues to be one of Indonesia’s top trading partners and sources of investment, despite the global economic slowdown and fluctuating oil prices.

Nayar said bilateral trade reached US$41.99 billion in 2014, coincidentally the second-highest in value after China. In 2015, trade shrank to $30.66 billion, according to data from the Trade Ministry.

Singapore has consistently been among the top five investors in Indonesia in the past five years, with $5.9 billion in investment from 2,056 projects in 2015.

A number of successful Singaporean brands were present at the reception, including Founder Bak Kut Teh, Island Creamery and Bee Cheng Hiang, in an arrangement reminiscent of a Singaporean hawker center.

Among the many luminaries present at the reception were Agrarian Minister Sofjan Djalil, Investment Coordinating Board (BPKM) head Thomas Lembong, US charge d’affaires Bryan McFeeters, Indian Ambassador Nengcha Lhouvum, Russian Ambassador Mikhail Galuzin and Dutch Ambassador Rob Swartbol.

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