Singapura, 12-11-2009

Remaks At State Dinner

 

REMARKS BY

H.E. DR. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO

PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA


AT A STATE DINNER


SINGAPORE, 12 NOVEMBER 2009
Your Excellency Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Madame Ho Ching,
Excellencies, Senior Ministers and Ministers of the Republic of Singapore,

My Friends,

On behalf of my delegation, let me begin by expressing my sincere gratitude for the warm hospitality and generosity you accorded to my delegation and me. It is a great pleasure to visit Singapore and to see you again, Prime Minister Lee, after you graced my second inauguration with your presence in Jakarta last month.

I have brought with me some new faces in my Cabinet. But I assure you that are all friends of Singapore, and they are ready to work with you, to strengthen our important relations.

I have come here simply to reaffirm my commitment to Indonesia-Singapore relations. As always, I had good discussions with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. I am delighted that we have made progress in resolving the border issues between our countries.

At the multilateral level, I wish to commend the Government of Singapore for hosting this year’s APEC Summit in a couple of days from now, and I am sure we will have a very successful meeting.

As to the relations between our countries, especially during the past four decades, we have a great deal to be proud of. Within the framework of ASEAN, we are working closely to help bring about an ASEAN Community that is also a Security Community, an Economic Community, and a Sociocultural Community. I look forward to Singapore and Indonesia working closely together, to help ensure that the Copenhagen meeting next month will lead to a more effective climate regime.

In the economic sphere, Singapore remains one of Indonesia’s main trading partners. Singaporean investments are helping us in Indonesia attain our development goals—and we appreciate that. It has greatly helped that, there are frequent contacts between our respective entrepreneurs and traders. It has also mattered a lot, that the spirit of friendship is flourishing between our citizens.

Indeed, there is so much that we can do for each other—with or without a crisis confronting us.

A successful meritocracy and a beacon of excellence in the region, Singapore has contributed much to that process of community building.

To all Singaporeans, we in Indonesia are happy and proud to be your friends and partners. Let us keep that partnership growing, as it is beneficial not only to ourselves, but also to all peoples of the ASEAN region.
Excellency, I look forward to your next visit to Jakarta.

I thank you.