Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, who is in Indonesia, yesterday officiated at a ceremony to upgrade the status of the Singapore consulate in the North Sumatra city of Medan to that of a consulate-general.

It is one of two consulates - the other being in Batam in the Riau Islands province - that is being upgraded, a move the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said reflected the Republic's commitment to expanding cooperation and deepening ties with Indonesia at the regional level.

Dr Balakrishnan is slated to officiate at the Batam mission's upgrade today, meet Riau Islands Governor Nurdin Basirun and business leaders, as well as attend a Singapore National Day reception on the island.

He told a similar reception in Medan yesterday that the new consulate-general in the city symbolised Singapore's commitment to deepen engagement with not only North Sumatra but also the other provinces, including Aceh, Jambi, South Sumatra and West Sumatra.

The National Day receptions are held in conjunction with the commemoration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia this year.

Dr Balakrishnan is accompanied by officials from the MFA and Economic Development Board on his two-day visit.