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Indonesia, Singapore leaders’ retreat to see passing of guard
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Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (second left) and his spouse Ho Ching (left) are welcomed by President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (second right) and First Lady Iriana Widodo upon their arrival for the ASEAN Summit in Jakarta on September 5, 2023. (AFP/Adek Berry/Pool)
T
he annual leaders’ retreat between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his Singaporean counterpart Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be a swansong for the two outgoing leaders and the first meeting between their successors, president-elect Prabowo Subianto and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, respectively.
Lee, the eldest son of Singapore’s first prime minister and founding father Lee Kuan Yew, announced his resignation earlier this month, with his 20-year-tenure ending on May 15. He also announced that Finance Minister Wong would succeed him.
The Singaporean succession will be followed by its neighbor five months later, when Prabowo is sworn as the new Indonesian president in October. He will succeed Jokowi, who is expected to spend the remainder of his time in office laying the groundwork for a smooth transition of power.
Among the items on the agenda is ensuring that Prabowo builds on Indonesia’s bilateral ties with Singapore, when all four politicians meet in the retreat at the Bogor Palace in West Java on Monday, which is shaping up to be the passing of the guard for both countries’ leaders.
Officials from the Defense Ministry and the Presidential Palace confirmed on Sunday that Prabowo would accompany Jokowi in the meeting.
Read also: Luhut pitches national projects to incoming Singaporean PM
Ahead of the meeting, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met with his Indonesian counterpart Retno LP Marsudi and President Jokowi on Friday to discuss the details of the meeting.
