Indonesian VP, Singapore President Hold Talks in City-State

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Vice President Ma'ruf Amin paid a courtesy call to Singapore President Halimah Yacob at the Singapore Presidential Palace on Monday, Jan. 16.

"We pray that 2023 will be a better year for all of us. I also hope that this year, our bilateral relations will be even better," Amin said.

During the meeting, which took place from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. local time, he conveyed warm regards from President Joko Widodo to the Singaporean President and gave her New Year wishes, according to a press release.

The Vice President said that the progress in bilateral relations between the two countries would be discussed in depth by President Widodo and the Prime Minister of Singapore soon.

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During the meeting, Amin raised some important points. First, he expressed his appreciation for the completion of three important agreements between Indonesia and Singapore.

"I am happy that we have been able to complete three important agreements, those being the Flight Information Region or FIR, the Defense Cooperation Agreement, and the Extradition Treaty. These three agreements further improve the cooperation between the two countries," he said.

Second, the Vice President expressed his hope that the bilateral relations between the countries could be expedited to the sharia economic sector.

Currently, Indonesia is taking several measures to become a global center of halal production, such as the establishment of halal industrial zones in three strategic areas in Bintan, Serang, and Sidoarjo, he noted.

"I expect Singapore can become an investment partner for the halal industry and encourage the completion of an agreement on halal product guarantees between the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body and the Singapore Islamic Ulema Council (MUIS)," he said.

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Third, Amin highlighted cooperation in the education and sociocultural aspects as a great priority for Indonesia for building superior human resources. He also expressed support for the actual measures taken in the implementation of the cooperation agreement.

“(The measures include) Encouraging the implementation of these bilateral agreements through youth apprenticeship programs and vocational education programs for the two countries, as well as the establishment of a monitoring and evaluation mechanism," he elaborated.

Lastly, he touched upon Indonesia's candidacy for the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and sought Singapore's support for it.

He also outlined Indonesia's program for the 2023 ASEAN chairmanship.

"Since 2018, Indonesia has been an observer at FATF and has achieved a lot of progress in terms of the anti-money laundering regime. I expect Singapore's support at the FATF meeting in Paris in February 2023. I am sure of Singapore's support for Indonesia," he added.

Source: State News Antara