Prabowo arrives in S’pore for 1st state visit as Indonesia president

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has arrived in Singapore for the Indonesia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, which will be held on Jun. 16, marking his first state visit since taking office on Oct. 20, 2024.

Upon his arrival on the night of Jun. 15, Prabowo was greeted by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.

“This reception reflects the close friendship between the two countries, as well as the strategic cooperation that continues to be strengthened for the prosperity of the two nations and the Asean region,” Prabowo said in an Instagram post.

He also exchanged a handshake with PM Wong.

"Pak Prabowo is a close friend of Singapore and has visited us many times over the years,” said PM Wong on Facebook.

“But today marks his first visit as President of the Republic of Indonesia — and I am honoured to welcome him in this new capacity.”

Prabowo is also slated to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on May 16.

8th Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat

PM Wong and Prabowo will meet again on Jun. 16 for the 8th Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat.

The Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat is a high-level meeting between the leaders of Singapore and Indonesia, convened annually since 2016, save for 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year's retreat will be the first for both PM Wong and Prabowo in their current positions.

Prabowo attended the 2024 edition of the retreat as the then-President-elect of Indonesia, alongside former Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

They met with then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and PM Wong, who was then Deputy Prime Minister.

“As the highest-level platform between the two countries, the annual Leaders’ Retreat is testament to the excellent bilateral relations and strong interpersonal ties between our leaders,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Just a few days ago, on Jun. 13, Singapore and Indonesia had signed three Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) on Cross Border Electricity Trade, Carbon Capture and Storage, and the Sustainable Industrial Zone.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry noted that the MOU on Cross-Boarder Electricity Trade will bring Singapore closer to its goal of importing up to four gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035.

Singapore and Indonesia also share relations in other areas, such as cooperation in finance, defence and providing opportunities for exchanges between citizens from both nations.

Top image via Presiden Republik Indonesia/Instagram