SINGAPORE: Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan have written to their Indonesian counterparts to convey their congratulations as the country marks its 80th Independence Day on Sunday (Aug 17).
In letters to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sugiono, provided to the media by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they recognised the country’s progress since its independence in 1945 and expressed hopes for continued cooperation between the two neighbours.
They also thanked their Indonesian counterparts for attending Singapore’s 60th National Day Parade (NDP) on Aug 9, noting that both countries are commemorating milestone anniversaries this year.
President Tharman, writing to Mr Prabowo, said that Indonesia’s “transformation, progress and spirit of togetherness since independence in 1945 has been an inspiring story”.
“It has continued to achieve robust economic growth, uplifted its people, and is recognised as a respected voice in the global community,” Mr Tharman said.
“Your ideals of harmony and mutual respect are, indeed values shared by the people of Singapore.”
Mr Tharman also highlighted the longstanding ties between Singapore and Indonesia, adding that Mr Prabowo’s presence at Singapore’s NDP “reflects the close friendship and common heritage of our two nations”.
Mr Wong, in his letter to Mr Prabowo, said Indonesia has established itself as a “respected, trusted, and constructive player in ASEAN and on the international stage”.
He added that under Mr Prabowo’s leadership, Indonesia has “made bold moves to uplift the lives of its people by strengthening food and energy security, developing human capital, and safeguarding the nation’s economic interests”.
Mr Wong, who is also Singapore’s Finance Minister, also thanked Mr Prabowo for attending Singapore’s NDP shortly after the latter’s state visit and the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat in June.
“These were valuable occasions to reaffirm our shared strategic vision for the bilateral relationship and to chart the way forward for further collaboration in areas like trade and investment, defence, energy and food security,” Mr Wong said.
Dr Balakrishnan, who conveyed Singapore’s congratulations to Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono, described the country as a “beacon of progress on the global stage”.
He also said that “good progress” was being made on bilateral initiatives discussed between Mr Prabowo and Mr Wong at the Leaders’ Retreat.
Dr Balakrishnan also expressed his appreciation for the strong cooperation with Mr Sugiono at ASEAN and other international forums, and extended an invitation to his counterpart to make an official visit to Singapore.
