Jokowi Introduces Prabowo To New Singaporean Leaders

President-elect Prabowo Subianto (right) spoke with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (left) during a meeting with President Joko Widodo/DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) introduced Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia's elected president in a meeting with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his successor, Deputy PM Lawrence Wong. The meeting between President Jokowi, Defense Minister Prabowo, PM Lee, and Deputy PM Wong took place in a retreat format at the back veranda of the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java, Monday, April 28. In his remarks during a bilateral meeting between the two countries, as stated by the Press Bureau of the Presidential Secretariat of the Republic of Indonesia, Jokowi said that Indonesia and Singapore will have new leaders this year. “ This year Indonesia and Singapore will have new leaders. I believe that under the new leadership, we will continue to strengthen cooperation, ” President Jokowi said as quoted by Antara. President Jokowi also expressed his appreciation to PM Lee and his cabinet. According to him, the cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore has gone well under the leadership of PM Lee. "I also express my gratitude and high appreciation to PM Lee and the ranks who have worked together so far," said Jokowi. PM Lee Hsien Loong will resign from office on May 15, and his deputy Lawrence Wong will take over. Meanwhile, President Jokowi will also end his term as President of the Republic of Indonesia in October 2024, then be replaced by Prabowo Subianto as president for the 2024-2029 period. Lee also believes that the close relations between the two countries will continue until the next government. “I am pleased that President Jokowi ‘ inherit ’ good bilateral relations to our successors. And I am sure Pak Prabowo and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence will continue to take this relationship to a higher level,” he said. The seventh leader's treatment is the last time for both Jokowi and Lee before their reign ends this year.

During the retreat, President Jokowi and PM Lee witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding of cooperation by ministers related to the two countries, namely in the field of community empowerment in the mangrove forest ecosystem (mangrove) and the defense sector. President-elect Prabowo Subianto (right) talks with First Replacement