Indonesia and Singapore pledge stronger ties in defense and green economy

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have committed to strengthening bilateral cooperation in defense, green development, and industrial growth during a high-level meeting in Singapore.

Indonesian and Singaporean leaders on Monday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening strategic ties across multiple sectors, including defense, the green economy, and industrial development, during a bilateral retreat hosted in Singapore.

In a post on X, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong agreed to enhance military cooperation through joint training exercises and to promote sustainable economic growth via industrial zone development.

“Our leaders’ retreat was a key opportunity to accelerate progress and reinforce the collaboration that has long existed between our nations,” Prabowo said.

Singapore’s Foreign Ministry echoed the sentiment in an official statement, noting that the two sides also explored ways to collaborate on energy, health, finance, education, and food security.

The leaders further stressed the importance of deeper integration within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and more active engagement with its external partners. “The Leaders agreed on the need to deepen internal integration within ASEAN and engagements with its external partners, so that ASEAN can continue to thrive and grow,” the ministry said.

Indonesia and Singapore, both founding members of ASEAN, have maintained formal diplomatic ties since 1967. Bilateral trade between the two nations reached $59 billion in 2019, according to Singaporean government data.

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