Jakarta, indomaritim.com – Indonesia and Singapore have begun discussions on developing military training areas in three locations on Sumatra and Kalimantan, as the two neighbors seek to deepen defense cooperation under their existing bilateral agreement.
President Prabowo Subianto and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong co-chaired the discussions during the annual Leaders’ Retreat in Jakarta on Monday, focusing on closer cooperation between the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF).
According to Antara News Agency, Wong said the two militaries could jointly develop training facilities in Baturaja, South Sumatra, Bengkayang, West Kalimantan, and the Air Weapons Range in Siabu, Riau, under the existing defense cooperation agreement.
The leaders also discussed expanding military cooperation at Batujajar in West Java.
Wong said closer collaboration would strengthen both armed forces through joint exercises and other initiatives aimed at enhancing defense capabilities.
He said strong ties between the TNI and SAF are important to Singapore and thanked Prabowo for advancing bilateral defense relations during his tenure as Indonesia’s defense minister.
The annual retreat also produced 26 agreements, including government-to-government and business-to-business deals.
Among them was a Joint Update on Defence Cooperation signed by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Singapore Coordinating Minister for Public Services and Defense Chan Chun Sing.
Prabowo and Wong witnessed the document exchange, marking another step in expanding bilateral defense cooperation.
Singaporean troops regularly join bilateral and multilateral exercises with the TNI, including training at the Baturaja Combat Training Center. The two navies also conduct routine exercises in the Strait of Malacca. (Edo)
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