Indonesian President Jokowi to visit Singapore to speak at Temasek’s sustainability event

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit Singapore on Wednesday.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday that Mr Widodo will be accompanied by some members of his Cabinet.

“Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Mrs Lee will host President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo to lunch,” the ministry said.

“President Joko Widodo will deliver a special address at Ecosperity Week, Temasek’s annual sustainability event.”

The event is being held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre from Tuesday to Thursday, and will see world leaders, academics and industry leaders discussing ways to speed up the green transition, stop climate change and work together to mitigate its effects.

Members of Mr Widodo’s Cabinet who are in Singapore include the archipelago’s Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan, who was part of a panel discussion at the event on Tuesday, as well as Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.

In a post on Instagram on Tuesday, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Singapore Suryo Pratomo said Ms Retno was in town to carry out inspections and get ready for Mr Widodo’s presentation.

The Straits Times understands that Mr Widodo, who is popularly known as Jokowi, will be speaking about his country’s climate change challenges as well as about

Nusantara, Indonesia’s new capital city in East Kalimantan.

His visit comes after more than 130 government officials and businessmen from Singapore

visited the site on a three-day trip

last week to explore opportunities in the new capital.

The 2,561 sq km project, about three times the size of Singapore, was announced three years ago by Mr Widodo.

MFA said Mr Widodo last visited Singapore in March for the

Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat

.

Mr Widodo and Ms Iriana hosted PM Lee and Mrs Lee at the

42nd Asean Summit

in Labuan Bajo, a town on the western tip of Indonesia’s Flores Island, in May.