Pernyataan Pers Bersama Presiden Republik Indonesia Dengan Presiden Republik Singapura, Y. M. Halimah Yacob, Dalam Rangka Kunjungan Kenegaraan Presiden Republik Singapura Ke Indonesia
Presiden Republik Indonesia:
Merupakan kehormatan bagi saya, menerima kunjungan Presiden Singapura Ibu Halimah Yacob dan delegasi ke Indonesia. Ini adalah kunjungan Presiden Halimah pertama kalinya dan Indonesia dan Singapura adalah tetangga dekat. Tidak terdapat opsi bagi kita untuk terus memperkokoh hubungan yang saling menguntungkan di antara kita.
Hubungan erat yang telah kita bangun bukan hanya di bidang ekonomi tapi juga hubungan antarmasyarakat. Dan dalam pertemuan bilateral tadi, kita membahas dua hal besar yaitu kemajuan hubungan setelah pertemuan saya dengan PM Lee Hsien Loong Oktober 2019 yang lalu dan kerja sama investasi serta hubungan masyarakat.
Saya sangat puas dengan kemajuan kerja sama kita antara lain ditandatanganinya: yang pertama, selesainya negosiasi perjanjian persetujuan penghindaran pajak berganda yang tadi telah kita saksikan dan telah ditandatangani; yang kedua, selesainya perundingan dan telah ditandatanganinya kerja sama penegakan hukum kepabeanan antara Dirjen Bea Cukai dengan Singapore Police Coast Guard; yang ketiga, implementasi raising fellowship programme berupa pelatihan sejumlah kepala daerah dari Indonesia; kemudian yang keempat, telah disepakatinya perpanjangan repurchase agreement pada November 2019 antara Bank Indonesia dengan Monetary Authority of Singapore; dan yang kelima, realisasi dan penguatan kerja sama dalam pelatihan industry 4.0.
Selain itu, kita juga membahas kerja sama di bidang investasi dan pengembangan sumber daya manusia, Singapura adalah negara sumber investasi terbesar di Indonesia sejak 2014 dan saya sangat menghargai komitmen Singapura untuk terus melanjutkan kerja sama investasi termasuk proyek infrastruktur di Indonesia.
Di bidang pendidikan, beberapa kerja sama yang akan kita dorong antara lain: pertama, proyek penguatan kerja sama di blok 71, kolaborasi pebisnis Indonesia dan unit bisnis salah satu universitas di Singapura; yang kedua, kerja sama pelatihan bagi pengajar dosen politeknik difasilitasi Singapore Polytechnic dan Kementerian Perindustrian Republik Indonesia; yang ketiga, kerjasama pelatihan antara YPAC dan Singapore International Foundation dan Singapore Health Services; yang keempat, kerja sama pendidikan dan research and development (R&D) antara universitas kedua negara. Saya juga mengajak Presiden Halimah untuk terus mendorong penguatan kerja sama pendidikan dan R&D, khususnya di bidang pelatihan vokasi dan hubungan antarmasyarakat.
Sekali lagi, terima kasih Presiden Halimah Yacob dan delegasi atas kunjungannya ke Indonesia. Saya harapkan program kunjungan Presiden Halimah selanjutnya ke Yogyakarta besok dapat berjalan lancar dan sukses. Selanjutnya, saya mengundang Presiden Halimah untuk menyampaikan pokok-pokok pernyataannya.
Presiden Republik Singapura:
Thank you, President Joko Widodo for your kind words. My delegation and I appreciate the warm welcome and hospitality shown by the government and the people of Indonesia. I am delighted to be here on my first state visit to Indonesia. Singapore and Indonesia are all friends and very close neighbours. Bilateral relations since establishment of diplomatic relations 52 years ago.
When President Jokowi and I met earlier today, we reaffirm the excellent state of bilateral relations and the extensive and mutually beneficial cooperation between our two countries acrossed the economic, cultural, security, and people to people views. President Jokowi and I agreed about the economic ties between two countries are robust and expanding. Singapore has been Indonesia’s Top Foreign Investor for the past 60 years. This demonstrates Singapore’s confidence in Indonesia’s vibrant economy. Our two countries are among each other’s top trading partners.
Singapore and Indonesia have successful joint projects, such as the Kendal Industrial Park in Semarang which is an attractive investment value at US 843 million dollars and will create more than 8.000 jobs. I am happy to hear that the Kendal Industrial Park has been established as a special economic zone which will make it even more attractive to investors.
There is still room for us to do more on the economic front. I was pleased to witness the signing of the updated Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement (Double Tax Avoidance Agreement/DTA) which in Singapore and Indonesia, all the DTA just now. The updated DTA senses strong signal about two countries’ commitment to strengthen economic cooperation amids the challenging global economic situation. Amongst other things, the updated DTA lowers the holding cartridge for royalties and ranch profit. I would like to thank the officials from both sides for the details’ work and getting this agreement concluded successfully. We look forward to the straight ratification and entry into force of the updated DTA as well as the bilateral investment treaty which we signed in 2018. Return together, this agreement for benefit businesses in both Singapore and Indonesia, and boost bilateral investment and trade.
President Jokowi and I also had a good discussion on the excellent cooperation between two countries in Human Resource Development. The establishment of The Kendal Polytechnic within the Kendal Industrial Park is a good example of how Singapore’s investment supports skill training for the Indonesian workforce. Tomorrow I will visit Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry to observe the training program that is jointly supported by the Singapore Polytechnic and The Ministry of Industry, to prepare Indonesian factories and workers for Industry 4.0. Indonesia’s young, dynamic, and entrepreneurial population will drive Indonesia’s growth in the coming years. Singapore looks forward to working with Indonesia in advancing Human Resource Cooperation for mutual benefit.
Cooperation between the security agencies of our two country is a long-standing and we are concernly upgrading this cooperation to deal with new tracks and issues, for instance the Singapore Police Coast Guard and Indonesia’s Directorate General of Customs and Excises would closely together to combat smuggling, trafficking of illegal goods, and other transnational crimes. I am happy to know that the two agencies have signed an MoU that provides for information exchanges and the conduct of regular joint operation by tools and bilateral training initiative.
Strong people-to-people ties anchor the relationship in Singapore and Indonesia. Our cultural, educational, and people to people exchanges are extensive and we can still do better. For example, Youth Corp. Singapore, which is part of the National Youth Council hopes to partner more Indonesia on next sessions and community partners to bring Singaporean and Indonesian youth together to deepen friendship and mutual understanding. Tomorrow, I will witness a project initiated by the Singapore International Foundation and fundraising in the foundation for the development of children research special need in Jakarta, in Sing-Health that provides training for Indonesian special education practitioners on occupational therapy for children with special needs.
Singapore is keen to strengthen cooperation with Indonesia’s region and cities and this regard, I look forward to visiting Yogyakarta tomorrow while I will need Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono, the 10th, the Governor of Yogyakarta. I will also visit the well-known Gadjah Mada University, which I think President is graduated allright on prestigious university which has several numbers of ongoing partnership with universities in Singapore.
In closing, let me say that the relationship between Singapore and Indonesia is a long-standing and resilient one. As good neighbours, our two countries need opportunity and tackle the challenges together. In the midst of the global economic uncertainty and other challenges that we face today is all more important for Singapore and Indonesia to work closely together, for the mutual benefit of the people of the two countries. I am confident that bilateral relations between Singapore and Indonesia will grow from strength-to-strength in the coming years.
Thank you.