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PRESIDENT Joko Widodo and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong discussed the travel bubble scheme during a bilateral meeting at The Sanchaya Resort, Bintan Regency, Riau Islands, Tuesday (1/25). The Indonesian government has opened the door for Singaporean tourists in Batam and Bintan since January 24, 2022.
The results of the discussion were conveyed by the two governments during a joint press statement with President Jokowi and PM Loong this afternoon. Quoted from the Presidential Secretariat’s Youtube channel, Jokowi said the Indonesian and Singaporean governments would discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in a number of fields, especially regarding economic recovery.
“Supporting safe human mobility (between Singapore and Indonesia), we are finalizing cooperation on vaccine recognition and synchronization of interoperability of tracking and protection platforms owned by the two countries,” Jokowi said.
On the same occasion, Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore and Indonesia would continue discussions on the travel bubble so that the scheme could be two-way. He hoped this discussion would not take too long.
Loong admitted that he and Jokowi continued discussions on air and sea travel schemes so that more destinations in Indonesia were opened. “However, we also have to consider the pandemic conditions, especially regarding the Omicron variant that is currently spreading,” he said.
In the meeting, not only discussing the travel bubble, the two countries agreed on several cooperation agreements or MoUs, including an agreement that the scope of Jakarta covers all air territories in Indonesia, especially in the waters of the Riau Islands and Natuna. [sources/photo special]
