Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean called on Indonesian President Joko Widodo today (Nov 24) during his three-day visit to Jakarta, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

DPM Teo and President Widodo reaffirmed the excellent and long-standing ties between Singapore and Indonesia during their meeting, MFA said in a statement. They also discussed how Singapore and Indonesia could cooperate better in haze prevention, enhance existing cooperation in counter-terrorism, and ways through which they could further strengthen their long-standing mutually-beneficial military-to-military relationship, the ministry said.

The meeting also touched on the issue of the Flight Information Region (FIR). Indonesian politicians and military personnel have called for Indonesia to "take back" areas over Riau within Indonesian airspace which have formed part of the Singapore FIR since 1946, when the International Civil Aviation Organisation allocated the sector to Singapore based on operational and technical considerations.

DPM Teo and President Widodo agreed in their talks that the priority should be safety, efficiency and the smooth operation of the FIR, MFA said.

DPM Teo also told President Widodo that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong looked forward to visiting Indonesia next year as a follow-up to the Indonesian leader's visit to Singapore in July 2015. Both leaders would then continue discussions on further strengthening the bilateral relationship, including through the six Working Groups on economic cooperation.

DPM Teo will conclude his visit to Jakarta tomorrow, MFA said.