Prabowo and PM Wong Agree Malacca Strait Will Remain Open

President Prabowo Subianto and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, during the Leaders’ Retreat at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Monday, agreed that the Malacca Strait and the Singapore Strait shall remain open shipping lanes as regulated by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Shipping and trade routes in the Malacca Strait were among the key topics discussed during this year’s Indonesia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat, alongside other issues such as the dynamics in the Middle East.

“We discussed developments in the Middle East and their impact on Singapore, particularly regarding the Malacca Strait. Singapore and Indonesia, as littoral states, share the same strategic interest (in maintaining the Malacca Strait),” said PM Wong during a joint press statement with President Prabow at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Monday.

PM Wong continued that both Indonesia and Singapore are interested in upholding the rules of freedom of sailing and navigation, and in ensuring that maritime trade routes remain open as stipulated by UNCLOS provisions.

“Therefore, President Prabowo and I have agreed to perform our respective roles, together with other littoral states, to ensure that the Malacca Strait and the Singapore Strait remain safe, open, and accessible to all parties,” said PM Wong.

In the same press conference, President Prabowo also reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to maintaining the Malacca Strait as a safe and open shipping lane for everyone.

“We reaffirm the positions of Indonesia and Singapore regarding the Malacca Strait. Indonesia and Singapore are countries that directly border the Malacca Strait. We have an interest in maintaining the Malacca Strait as a free shipping lane for all parties,” said President Prabowo.

Prabowo added that the current threats faced by both nations in maintaining the Malacca Strait relate not only to security and defence issues, such as piracy or maritime accidents, but also to pollution. Therefore, close cooperation between Indonesia and Singapore is required to address these threats.

“We will continue to coordinate with Malaysia and Thailand to ensure, in accordance with UNCLOS 1982, that the Malacca Strait will always be open to all, safe, and accessible to anyone requiring access. I believe this demonstrates our firmness, and I assure our friends in Singapore,” said President Prabowo.