Singapore-Indonesia agreements benefit both sides: SM Teo

The set of recent agreements between Singapore and Indonesia was carefully negotiated for a good balance of benefits for both sides, and to be durable and for the long haul, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told Parliament yesterday.

Addressing questions from eight MPs on the pacts inked at last month's Leaders' Retreat between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Mr Teo described the agreements as a win-win outcome, adding they provide a strong foundation to further strengthen bilateral ties. The pacts deal with airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition.

Mr Teo and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan, both of whom were instrumental in the negotiation of the agreements, also signed an exchange of letters undertaking to bring the agreements into force simultaneously.

"Singapore and Indonesia recognise that we will always be neighbours, and that we should continue to work together as partners," said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security.

"This agreement and the principles underlying it provide a good basis for future cooperation where each side brings something to the table and we work together to create a larger outcome, where the whole is bigger than the sum of all its parts."

Mr Teo noted that the three pacts deal with issues that have been on the bilateral agenda for decades, and he had been personally involved in handling them at various points in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and then in Cabinet.

In 2019, PM Lee and Mr Widodo tasked Mr Teo and Mr Luhut to put maximum effort into the matter, and work out a framework for discussions between their governments on the flight information region (FIR) and Singapore's military training in the South China Sea.

"The framework laid out a set of considerations and principles, and acknowledged that the core interests and rights of both countries must be recognised and respected," said Mr Teo.

At Indonesia's request, it was expanded in April last year to include the extradition treaty.

Under the FIR agreement, Singapore and Indonesia agreed to realign the boundary between the Singapore and Jakarta FIRs, largely taking into account Indonesia's archipelagic and territorial baselines. Indonesia will delegate to Singapore the provision of air navigation services in portions of the airspace within the realigned Jakarta FIR for 25 years.

This ensures that present and future traffic to Changi Airport and nearby Indonesian airports continues to be managed safely and efficiently, added Mr Teo.

When all the pacts under the expanded framework have been ratified through the two countries' domestic processes, Singapore and Indonesia will jointly seek approval from the International Civil Aviation Organisation for the FIR arrangements. "Singapore's interest was the present and future needs of Changi Airport, which Indonesia accepted," said Mr Teo.

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) asked about plans after the 25-year period.

Mr Teo said the agreement can be extended by mutual consent if both sides find it beneficial. Otherwise, pre-existing arrangements will continue to be in effect until both countries reach a new agreement.

The defence cooperation agreement (DCA) between the SAF and the Indonesian Armed Forces will clarify arrangements for the SAF's training in Indonesian waters and airspace when it takes effect, said Mr Teo. The agreement and its implementation arrangement were both signed in 2007.

While the SAF has been conducting its training in the designated South China Sea Danger Area since the 1960s, when it was international waters, parts of this area became Indonesian archipelagic and territorial waters and airspace under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). The SAF's training activities in such areas continue, as a right provided under Article 51 of Unclos, noted Mr Teo.

"When the DCA comes into force, it will provide clarity on the arrangements for the SAF's training in Indonesian archipelagic and territorial waters and airspace, with full respect for Indonesia's sovereignty over its territory, while preserving Singapore's rights."

As for the extradition treaty, it will strengthen cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both sides to combat crime, said Mr Teo. "Our hope is that the (treaty) will also be helpful to Indonesia's own efforts to prevent suspected criminals from fleeing overseas, and for them to be apprehended in Indonesia," he added.

"The (treaty) reflects both countries' commitment to work with international partners to combat crime and uphold the rule of law."

In sum, the set of agreements shows Singapore and Indonesia recognise they will always be neighbours and should continue to work together as partners, said Mr Teo.

Negotiators worked hard to push for their interests, he added.

"But both sides also had a shared interest in closer bilateral cooperation and the benefits that would bring. As a result, we were able to reach a good set of agreements."

The most important factor to ensure Singapore has a strong hand is a strong, clear-thinking, trustworthy and capable government supported by a united people, added Mr Teo. "It is the trust and unity of our people behind us that allow us to conduct negotiations with consistency and confidence," he said.