The Singapore Prime Minister stated that the business climate in Indonesia is getting better so his government is continuing to encourage Singapore businessmen to invest in Indonesia.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, on Tuesday said he met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and several ministers to discuss a number of issues, including investment and green energy.

During the meeting, the Singapore government stressed its commitment to strengthen economic cooperation with Indonesia and encourage more Singaporean businesses to invest in Indonesia.

"The Singapore Prime Minister stated that the business climate in Indonesia is getting better so his government is continuing to encourage Singapore businessmen to invest in Indonesia," Hartarto said in a written statement released on Tuesday.

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At the meeting, the two neighboring countries also committed to jointly developing green energy, he added.

The Singapore government will soon inaugurate a floating photovoltaic power station with a capacity of 60 megawatts in Singapore. The city state is also supporting the development of the Kendal industrial estate in Central Java, inaugurated by President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Loong in 2016.

Loong lauded the Indonesian government's decision to designate Batam as a special economic zone, which is expected to attract Singapore investment. An IT center can also be built in Batam to train skilled workers in the digital field, he said.

Meanwhile, during their meeting, Hartarto and Singapore Vice Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat discussed potential cooperation to help Indonesia come out of the COVID-19 crisis.

"The Indonesian government is trying hard to control the spread of this variant of COVID-19 by accelerating the vaccination program. President Joko Widodo has ordered to increase the daily vaccination rate to one million doses and further two million doses," Hartarto said.

During his stay, Hartarto also met with Singapore Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam. Both sides agreed that all countries should work hand in hand to handle the epicenters of the disease, Hartarto informed.

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Translator: Kuntum Khaira R/Suharto
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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