Indonesia To Discuss Batam Area's Development With Singapore

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The government of Indonesia will discuss about Batam area's development during President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) state visit to Singapore on July 28-29.

"I will focus on discussing about the development in Batam and Bintan Karimun since we have never placed weightage on them for years," President Jokowi stated at the Halim Perdanakusumah Airport in Jakarta, on Tuesday.

President Jokowi sees several areas of potential in Batam that should be developed for promoting national economic growth.

"We expect to sign some agreements with Singapore," he noted.

The president also remarked that Indonesia will give heed to what Singapore needs in order to invest in the development in Batam area.

"The most important thing is that the development of Batam and its surrounding area must be continued. I do not want it to be stagnant," he emphasized.

During his visit to Singapore, President Widodo is accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Sofjan Djalil, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Minister Yuddy Chrisnandy, and Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Imam Nahrawi.

Currently, Singapore is one of Indonesia's key partners in the sectors of trade, investment, and tourism.

In 2014, bilateral trade between Indonesia and Singapore amounted to US$41.99 billion, the second-largest after that with China.

In the investment sector, Singapore ranked first in the last five years, with as many as 2,056 projects worth US$5.8 billion last year.

During the same period, Singaporeans constituted the largest section of foreign tourists in Indonesia, with 1,519,223 people. This was a 10.12 percent rise from that recorded in 2013.

During his visit, President Jokowi is scheduled to meet Singaporean President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. He will also attend a business conference in which more than 150 CEOs of large Singapore-based companies will participate.

Besides bilateral issues, President Jokowi will also utilize the visit to discuss ASEAN-related affairs ahead of the regional economic integration in 2015.

Indonesia believes that people living in the ASEAN region, including migrant workers, must benefit directly from the ASEAN Economic Community 2015.

With regard to this idea, Indonesia has been working towards establishing a legally binding instrument to protect migrant workers in the ASEAN region.

 On the last day of his visit, Jokowi is scheduled to inaugurate a new species of orchid that will be named after Indonesian First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo. (WDY)