SINGAPORE – The set of agreements that Singapore and Indonesia concluded last month over longstanding bilateral issues 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 on Monday (Feb 14).
Addressing questions filed by eight MPs over the pacts inked during last month’s Leaders’ Retreat between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, SM Teo described the agreements as a win-win outcome that will provide a strong foundation to further strengthen bilateral relations.
The landmark pacts deal with airspace management, defence cooperation and an extradition treaty.
SM Teo and his Indonesian counterpart, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investments Luhut Pandjaitan, also signed an exchange of letters undertaking to bring the three 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 when he was in the Singapore Armed Forces and then in Cabinet.
Both countries had signed agreements on the flight information region (FIR) and military training in 1995, but the first FIR pact could not be implemented due to external factors in the process of submitting it for approval by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and the military training pact was implemented but lapsed after a few years.
Both sides made another attempt and concluded agreements on defence cooperation and extradition in 2007, and agreed to implement them simultaneously, but they were not ratified by Indonesia.
In 2019, PM Lee and Mr Widodo tasked Mr Teo and Mr Luhut to put maximum effort into the matter, and worked out a framework for discussions as a basis for their governments to discuss the 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 to include the extradition treaty in April 2021.
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, said Mr Teo.
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 continue 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 ICAO’s approval for the FIR arrangements, said Mr Teo.
“Singapore’s interest was the present and future needs of Changi Airport, which Indonesia accepted.”
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh and Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) asked what the plans are after the 25-year period.
Mr Teo said the agreement can be extended by mutual consent if both countries find it beneficial. Otherwise, pre-existing arrangements will continue to be in effect until both countries reach a new agreement.
“Certainly, Singapore will continue to discharge its responsibilities to provide air navigation services in a safe and efficient way for civil traffic,” he said.
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 the area 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,” he said.
The extradition treaty (ET) between Singapore and Indonesia will grant extradition for a comprehensive list of extraditable offences, in accordance with the laws of both countries and safeguards provided in the treaty, said Mr Teo.
The treaty is substantially similar to the agreement the two countries signed in 2007, with the sole change being that it can now be retroactively applied for crimes committed 18 years ago, instead of 15 years as previously agreed.
While Singapore and Indonesia already work closely to tackle criminal matters, the extradition treaty will strengthen cooperation between the law enforcement agencies of both sides to combat crime, said Mr Teo.
“Our hope is that the ET 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.
“More fundamentally, the ET 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 that Singapore and Indonesia recognise that the two countries will always be neighbours and should continue to work together as partners, said Mr Teo.
The pacts also 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”, he added.
Singapore had a capable and cohesive negotiating team that identified its interests clearly and pushed for them energetically and diplomatically. Likewise, Indonesia also worked hard to push for its interests, said Mr Teo.
“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.”
But the most important factor to ensure that Singapore always has a strong hand to bring to the table in any negotiations is to have a strong, clear-thinking, trustworthy and capable government which is supported by a united people, said 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.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.