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Prabowo, Wong usher in stronger bilateral ties
Prabowo hosted Wong for lunch and bilateral talks at Merdeka Palace on Wednesday, where they reaffirmed the “strong friendship” between Indonesia and Singapore, emphasizing shared goals in resilience and development.
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Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left) shakes hands with President Prabowo Subianto during a joint press conference following their meeting at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Nov. 6, 2024. (Reuters/Willy Kurniawan)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto and Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong came away from their first official meeting on Wednesday with a commitment to deepen cooperation across key sectors and a pledge to boost “resilience amid an uncertain geopolitical environment”.
Wong was in Jakarta for what his office described as an “introductory” meeting, despite it being his third time this year visiting Indonesia. Both he and Prabowo have only recently been elected leaders of their respective countries.
The President hosted his guest for lunch and bilateral talks at Merdeka Palace on Wednesday, where they reaffirmed the “strong friendship” between Indonesia and Singapore, emphasizing shared goals in resilience and development.
In a statement issued by the presidential press bureau, Prabowo highlighted five priority areas for bilateral cooperation: defense, the economy, green technology, food security and human capital development.
In defense, the leaders agreed to fully implement the Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), including provisions for joint military training exercises.
“Singapore and Indonesia are committed to implementing our defense cooperation framework, including arrangements for military training areas,” Prabowo said, underscoring the shared desire to bolster security cooperation in a region fraught with strategic challenges.
The DCA is one in a set of deals under what Singapore describes as the expanded framework agreements, which former leaders Lee Hsien Loong and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo signed after years of fraught negotiations.
