Indonesia, Singapore beef up ties

12/02/2017 17:38

Indonesian Foreign Minister RetnoMarsudi paid a visit to Singapore from February 9-12 as part of the country’s efforts to boost cooperation with Singapore as the two countries are celebrating their 50 years of diplomatic ties, according to theForeign Ministry of Indonesia.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (Photo: AFP)

Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi paid a visit to Singapore from February 9-12 as part of the country’s efforts to boost cooperation with Singapore as the two countries are celebrating their 50 years of diplomatic ties, according to theForeign Ministry of Indonesia.

Within the framework of the visit, Marsudi held talks with her Singaporean counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan, during which both sides agreed to conduct a series of activities to mark their diplomatic ties, including a dialogue, a business forum, music and fashion shows.

At the same time, the two sides also discussed issues related to sea border along the east of the strait of Singapore.

Marsudi affirmed that the bilateral relationship is thriving, especially in economy. Despite a number of differences, the bilateral ties have high potential of growth, she said.

The two ministers also highlighted the need to beef up their cooperation in fighting terrorism, drug and human trafficking.

Statistics show that Singapore has been the fifth largest trade partner of Indonesia after China, the US, Japan and India. As of October 2016, two-way trade between Indonesia and Singapore reached 20.9 billion USD, while Singapore invested 9.2 billion USD in 1,932 projects in Indonesia.-VNA

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#Indonesian Foreign Minister RetnoMarsud #Singapore #Vivian Balakrishnan #Indonesia-Singapore relations Indonesia Singapore