Vivian affirms close Jakarta ties on visit

JAKARTA — Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan and Indonesian Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Pandjaitan reaffirmed the “long-standing and strong bilateral relationship” between the two countries during a meeting in Jakarta yesterday.

Dr Balakrishnan, who took over the foreign affairs portfolio following the General Election in September, is in Indonesia for an introductory visit.

Mr Luhut briefed Dr Balakrishnan on the Indonesian government’s efforts to improve the investment climate in the Batam-Bintan-Karimun Special Economic Zone (BBK), and both ministers discussed “the importance of ensuring regulatory certainty for investors and improving labour relations in BBK”, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said yesterday. Both countries had agreed in 2006 to set up special economic zones in BBK.

The MFA said that during the meeting, Mr Luhut briefly touched on the issue of Indonesian airspace controlled by Singaporean air traffic controllers — also known as Flight Information Region (FIR). Last year, Jakarta indicated that it had wanted to reclaim control of its airspace above the Riau Islands from Singapore.

“Singapore’s position is that the FIR issue is not an issue of sovereignty. The safety and efficiency of commercial air traffic is the paramount concern,” said the MFA in its statement, adding that the FIR is “a complex technical and operational issue under the ambit of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and involves many other countries and airlines”.

“The current arrangements have worked well for many decades for the benefit of the international aviation community by ensuring the safe and efficient provision of air-traffic services in the region,” the statement added.

Dr Balakrishnan also met several other Indonesian ministers and politicians, such as Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Rudiantara, and was taken on a tour of Jakarta City Hall by the city’s governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

“We had good, frank, constructive discussions on bilateral ties, including regional and international issues,” Dr Balakrishnan said of the meetings on Facebook. “Governor Basuki kindly brought me on a tour of the Jakarta City Hall and briefed me on the operations of the Jakarta Smart City Lounge. What was truly impressive was not just the technology, but the passion and energy of the many young people trying out new ideas with open data in government.”

Both ministers also noted the strong economic ties between Singapore and Indonesia, and agreed that “there was scope to explore other possible areas of cooperation, such as tourism and infrastructure development”, added the MFA.

Dr Balakrishnan will conclude his visit today.