Indonesian President departs for Singapore

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) departed for Singapore from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Wednesday.

President Jokowi took off from Halim Perdanakusuma aboard the RI-1 Presidential Aircraft at 3:15 p.m. local time.

State Secretary/ Minister Pratikno, Maritime Coordination Minister Luhut Panjaitan, Economic Coordination Minister Darmin Nasution, and Education and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy accompanied the president.

Earlier, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung had stated that Indonesia and Singapore will improve bilateral ties and trust in commemoration of 50 years of bilateral relations between both nations.

"We will improve bilateral ties between the two countries, and boosting mutual trust is the theme," Anung noted at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday (Sept 5).

He stated that trust between Indonesia and Singapore was improving with time.

"Hence, trust was needed as a neighboring country," he emphasized.

Pramono stated that President Jokowi will visit Singapore on September 6-7, 2017.

"This visit was made to commemorate 50 years of bilateral ties between Indonesia and Singapore," he noted.

He pointed out that Singapore, as one of the closest neighboring countries, is most visited by Indonesians.

"For the commemoration of half century of bilateral ties between Indonesia and Singapore, some agenda items have been prepared," he revealed.

He said the focus was on improving bilateral cooperation in the economic sector, such as for boosting the digital economy, which is currently booming and advancing rapidly.

"Moreover, several activities involving Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Long and President Jokowi could be held at the Presidential Palaces outdoor area, similar to when President Jokowi had welcomed Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull," Pramono added.

Source: ANTARA