Three landmark pacts between S'pore and Indonesia take effect

Hailed as a major milestone, agreements resolve longstanding sensitive issues

- Goh Yan Han

Three landmark pacts between Singapore and Indonesia officially came into force on March 21, in a major milestone for bilateral relations.

The three agreements - which deal with airspace management, defence cooperation and extradition - were inked in January 2022, during the Leaders' Retreat between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, under the expanded framework between the two countries.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the agreements' entry into force was a historic landmark in Singapore-Indonesia relathat underscored the tions strength and maturity of the two countries' relationship.

To commemorate the occasion, PM Lee and President Widodo spoke on the phone on March 22.

During their call, PM Lee reaffirmed Singapore's commitment to working closely with Indonesia to address shared challenges, and expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship will continue to break new ground.

"The agreements signal our shared commitment to working together as neighbours to secure outcomes in the best interest of both our countries," MFA added in its March 22 statement.

The agreements come into force a year after Singapore and Indonesia jointly applied in March 2023 to the International Civil Aviation Organisation to approve the realigning of both countries' flight boundaries.

The three agreements entering into force simultaneously resolve longstanding sensitive issues in the bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring countries that go back decades.