PM Lee Hsien Loong at the dinner hosted in honour of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and First Lady Mrs Ani Bambang Yu

His Excellency Dr Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of the Republic of Indonesia

First Lady Mrs Ani Bambang Yudhoyono

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

My wife and I are delighted to welcome President Yudhoyono, Ibu Ani and his distinguished delegation back to Singapore. Tonight’s dinner is an opportunity for us to show our hospitality, catch up with old friends, and in some instances, make new acquaintances.

We were in Jakarta just last month to attend President Yudhoyono’s inauguration. We were happy that we would be able to continue the friendly and constructive relationship which we had built up over the last five years, to the mutual benefit of Indonesia and Singa pore. While voters in some other countries opted for change, the Indonesian people voted resolutely for continuity. This reflected their confidence and trust in the President’s leadership and vision for Indonesia in these challenging times. May I congratulate President Yudhoyono once again on his decisive re-election and the strong mandate he has received from his people.

Bilateral relations have been good over the past five years. Singapore and Indonesia are cooperating on several important fronts, including combating terrorism, managing environmental challenges, and preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Ties between the SAF and TNI are close and remain an important element of our bilateral relations. Our economic relations are broad and mutually beneficial. Our people-to-people interactions are regular and extensive. Singapore and Indonesia also share similar strategic views: the importance of ASEAN, the need for ASEAN to remain at the centre of regional groupings such as ASEAN + 3 and the East Asia Summit, and the desirability of an open framework of regional integration.

At the personal level, our ministers are familiar with their Indonesian counterparts. The President and I are also never further than a phone call away.

I look forward to working with President Yudhoyono in his second term to enhance our bilateral partnership. I am happy that he has made the special effort to visit Indonesia’s close neighbours so soon after his inauguration. I am confident that both our countries will continue to work closely together, to seize the opportunities that come our way and achieve mutual benefits for our peoples.

I wish you all a very pleasant evening, and an enjoyable and fruitful stay in Singapore in the next few days for the APEC meeting.