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Jokowi, Lee in final retreat call on successors to maintain strong ties
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the new leaders of Indonesia and Singapore to bring ties between the two countries to "greater heights", while President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo urged them to ensure the full implementation of both countries' milestone deals.
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President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (second right) talks with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (second left) and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong (left) as Defense Minister and president-elect Prabowo Subianto (right) looks on, on April 29, 2024, during the leader's retreat at the Bogor Palace in West Java. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
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resident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong have ceremonially passed on the baton of future Indonesia-Singapore relations to their respective successors, Prabowo Subianto and Lawrence Wong, with a call for continuity and greater collaboration between the two nations.
Both countries have worked together closely to advance cooperation on multiple fronts, as the two leaders recounted, reflecting on key milestone agreements Lee described as having been based on “the spirit of friendship and openness.”
Marking the end of a chapter of Indonesia-Singapore bilateral relations, Lee paid a visit on Monday to the Bogor Presidential Palace for his seventh and last leaders’ retreat with Jokowi. He brought along Wong, who is slated to take office as the next Singaporean PM on May 15.
The previous annual leaders’ retreats only featured a tête-a-tête meeting between Jokowi and Lee. But this year, it was “an eight-eye meeting”, with Prabowo and Wong joining the two leaders.
“Indonesia is honored to host the seventh retreat,” Jokowi said in a joint press statement following the talk. “It is a strong signal for the continuity of our cooperation.”
Read also: Indonesia, Singapore leaders’ retreat to see passing of guard
Lee noted that this year’s meeting was special as it was the final one for him and Jokowi. “I am glad that President Jokowi and I are handing over the bilateral relationship in a good state to our successors,” the outgoing 72-year-old PM continued.
