President Widodo to make first official visit to Singapore

SINGAPORE - Indonesian President Joko Widodo will make a State Visit to Singapore from July 28 to 29 with First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo and a high-level ministerial delegation.

This is President Widodo's first official visit to Singapore, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release on Monday.

He will be welcomed at an official ceremony at the Istana on July 28, and followed by a call on President Tony Tan and a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

PM Lee will host President Widodo and his delegation for lunch, while President Tan will host a State Banquet in honour of his guests the same evening.

Before the State Banquet, President Tan and President Joko Widodo will witness a certificate-presentation ceremony for the Technical and Vocational Training Programme in Ship Building organised by Temasek Foundation and ITE Education Services, in partnership with Batam Polytechnic.

During the visit, three agreements will be signed between Indonesia and Singapore, and witnessed by President Widodo and PM Lee.

They are:

- The Memorandum of Understanding on Electronic Government Cooperation between the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Communications and Information of the Republic of Singapore, which will facilitate the sharing of experiences and knowledge on the development of electronic government;

- The Memorandum of Understanding on Youth and Sports Cooperation between the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth of the Republic of Singapore, which aims to strengthen collaboration on youth and sports development between Indonesia and Singapore; and

- The Strategic Cooperation agreement between the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), which aims to enhance economic co-operation between the two business chambers.

President Widodo will also be speaking at the Singapore-Indonesia Business Dialogue organised by SBF and KADIN on July 28.

The next day, President Widodo and his First Lady will attend an orchid-naming ceremony held at the Singapore Botanical Gardens. An orchid, Dendrobium Iriana Jokowi, will be named after them.

The MFA said President Widodo's State Visit underscores the excellent state of Singapore-Indonesia bilateral relations.

The three agreements that will be signed during the State Visit highlight the breadth and depth of the close co-operation which Singapore and Indonesia have enjoyed over many years, add MFA.

They also underscore the inter-connected nature of the relationship, and the efforts of both governments to bring about mutual benefits for the people of Singapore and Indonesia.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg