Three landmark agreements involving airspace management come into force between Singapore and Indonesia www.singaporelawwatch.sg

Three landmark agreements between Singapore and Indonesia officially entered into force on March 21, a major milestone for bilateral relations.

The three agreements on airspace control, defense cooperation and extradition were signed during a summit meeting between Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo in January 2022 under the expanded framework between the two countries.

Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said the entry into force of the agreement was a historic milestone in Singapore-Indonesia relations, highlighting the strength and maturity of the bilateral relationship.

To commemorate this occasion, Prime Minister Lee and President Widodo held a telephone conversation on March 22.

During the telephone conversation, Prime Minister Lee reaffirmed Singapore’s commitment to working closely with Indonesia to address common challenges and expressed confidence that bilateral relations will continue to break new ground.

“This agreement demonstrates our shared commitment to working together as neighbors to secure an outcome that is in the best interests of both countries,” the MFA added in a March 22 statement.

The agreement will come into force one year after Singapore and Indonesia jointly applied to the International Civil Aviation Organization to approve the readjustment of their flight boundaries in March 2023.

The three agreements that come into force will simultaneously resolve long-standing and sensitive issues in the bilateral relations between the two neighboring countries, which date back decades.

Senior Minister Teo Chee Heen told Parliament in February 2022 that these agreements were carefully negotiated to be durable and long-lasting, with balanced benefits for both sides.

Prime Minister Lee highlighted the importance of the three agreements reached in the House of Commons in April 2023, saying they represent a “huge step forward” in Singapore-Indonesia relations.

At that time he said: “If we had left these issues unresolved, it would have made things worse and there was a strong possibility that we would eventually develop hatred. That would have caused the whole relationship to deteriorate. It would not have been beneficial to either party.”

On March 22, 2024, Prime Minister Lee said in a Facebook post: “This agreement is a major milestone in the relationship between Singapore and Indonesia.

“(I) look forward to moving forward further to explore promising new areas of cooperation in the coming years.”

SM Teo also met with Indonesia’s Coordinating Maritime and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan after the agreement came into force.

SM Teo said the agreement laid a strong foundation for further bilateral cooperation in new areas such as sustainability, green energy, healthcare and digital economy.

Mr Luhut was Mr SM Teo’s counterpart in negotiating and ratifying a series of agreements. For his significant contribution to Singapore-Indonesia relations, Mr Luhut was awarded the Darja Utama Bhakti Chemerlan (Order of Distinguished Service Order) in June 2023.

The three agreements between Singapore and Indonesia are:

Flight Information Region (FIR) Agreement

Prime Minister Lee said in April 2023 that airspace is vitally important to Singapore and politically important to Indonesians.

Under the FIR Agreement, Singapore and Indonesia agreed to readjust the boundaries between the Singapore and Jakarta FIRs, primarily taking into account Indonesia’s archipelago and territorial baselines.

The Singapore FIR has been managed by air traffic controllers here since 1946 and previously covered the skies over Indonesia’s Riau and Natuna islands.

Under the agreement, this airspace, which is now part of the Jakarta FIR, will be partially delegated to Singapore to continue providing air navigation services for 25 years.

The new arrangements will ensure that current and future traffic to Changi Airport and neighboring Indonesian airports continues to be managed safely and efficiently.

Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA)

The DCA articulates arrangements for the training of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in Indonesia’s sea and airspace, while respecting Indonesia’s sovereignty over its territory and upholding Singapore’s rights.

Both this agreement and its implementing arrangements were signed in 2007.

The SAF has conducted training in the designated dangerous areas of the South China Sea since the 1960s, when the area was in international waters.

Part of this area became Indonesia’s archipelago and territorial sea and airspace under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). SAF training activities in these areas continue as a right under Article 51 of Unclos.

The DCA and its implementation agreement between the militaries of the two countries regarding military training areas in Indonesia will be valid for 25 years.

extradition treaty

This treaty between Singapore and Indonesia allows extradition for a comprehensive list of offenses, including corruption, money laundering and bribery, subject to the laws of both countries and the safeguards set out in the treaty.

Extradition refers to the transfer of a person wanted for a crime to another country.

Prime Minister Lee said in April 2023 that the treaty had been sought by Indonesia for many years, but it would not be easy to achieve because the legal systems of the two countries are vastly different.

The treaty is in addition to Singapore’s extradition agreements with a number of jurisdictions around the world, including Germany, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the United States. The Republic also has similar agreements with 40 Commonwealth-declared countries, including Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom.

The treaty with Indonesia can be applied retroactively to crimes committed up to 18 years ago.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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