Singapore Agrees to Return Airspace Near Changi to Indonesia, Signs Extradition Deal
Singapore Agrees to Return Airspace Near Changi to Indonesia, Signs Extradition Deal
(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia and Singapore has settled a dispute over airspace and signed an extradition deal after years of disagreement.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Indonesian President Joko Widodo witnessed the signing of a treaty on extradition of fugitives as well as a memorandum of understanding on the flight information region on Tuesday. That means Indonesia will control all airspace within its territory, including over Riau and Natuna islands, Jokowi said.
“President Jokowi and I decided that it was time to decisively settle these long standing bilateral issues,” Lee said. “We endorsed a framework which would address the needs and interests of both sides.”
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The agreements conclude years of debate between the two neighboring countries. In 2015, Jokowi started pushing to reclaim the airspace over the islands near Singapore, which has been managed by the city-state since 1946. The area serves as a corridor for flights in and out of Singapore’s Changi airport, one of the busiest in Asia.
Once put in place, the flight information region agreement will uphold air traffic safety and efficiency in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization rules, Lee said.
The deal comes after the two nations resumed quarantine-free travel between Singapore and nearby Indonesian islands of Batam and Bintan.
Myanmar Progress
Indonesia has long sought an extradition treaty with Singapore in a bid to bring corruption suspects who flee to the city-state back home to face court.
The two countries also discussed Myanmar, with Lee noting that there was no significant progress since regional countries reached a consensus last April. “We are committed to help Myanmar reach a durable and peaceful resolution in the interests of its people, but it is essential for the Asean chair and his special envoy to engage all parties involved,” he said, referring to Cambodia as the rotating chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Indonesia and Singapore also signed other deals including those on central bank cooperation, green transition, aligning vaccine data and defense cooperation.
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