Singapore – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has called for deeper strategic cooperation with Singapore, particularly in the fields of healthcare and modern agriculture. The appeal was made during a joint press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong following their Leaders’ Retreat at Parliament House on Monday (June 16).
Prabowo underscored the urgency of transforming Indonesia’s national healthcare system, highlighting the need to develop medical education institutions as a long-term effort to strengthen health resilience.
“I plan to establish more medical universities and nursing schools, and I believe this is an area where Singapore’s experience can greatly benefit us,” said Prabowo.
In addition to healthcare, Prabowo identified modern agriculture and food security as top priorities. He expressed Indonesia’s openness to adopting agricultural technology from Singapore to modernize its national food systems.
“In our efforts to secure Indonesia’s food future, we welcome Prime Minister Wong’s offer to explore technology transfers in modern agricultural practices, including urban farming and sustainable post-harvest methods,” he said.
As a concrete step, Indonesia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on food security and agricultural technology, which includes initiatives such as youth farmer development programs and best-practice exchanges.
“We’ve also signed an MoU on food security and agri-tech,” PM Wong confirmed. “Singapore will support these efforts, including through a Youth Farmer Development Program.”
These initiatives are part of a broader set of 19 strategic deliverables agreed upon during the 2025 Leaders’ Retreat. The agreements span key areas such as green energy, sustainable industrial zones, connectivity, defense, and law enforcement cooperation—signaling a deepening of bilateral ties across multiple sectors critical to both nations’ long-term development.
