Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 6 to 8 March 2017 to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) Leaders’ Summit on 7 March 2017 as Special Envoy of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. DPM Teo will be accompanied by Senior Minister of State (SMS), Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Communications and Information. SMS Maliki will also attend the IORA Council of Ministers’ Meeting (COMM) on 6 March 2017. The two meetings are hosted by Indonesia, the current Chair of IORA.
Singapore is a founding member of IORA, which was established in 1997 to promote regional economic cooperation in the Indian Ocean. IORA currently has 21 Member States from across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Oceania, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, and seven Dialogue Partners, namely China, Egypt, Japan, France, Germany, the UK and the US. The IORA Leaders’ Summit commemorates the 20th anniversary of IORA’s founding.
DPM Teo and SMS Maliki will participate in discussions with other representatives of IORA Member States to enhance cooperation on issues of common interest faced by nations of the Indian Ocean Rim, and exchange views on relevant regional and international issues. DPM Teo and SMS Maliki will also hold bilateral meetings with representatives of the other IORA Member States on the sidelines of the Summit.
While in Jakarta, DPM Teo will also have bilateral meetings with senior members of the Indonesian government, including Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto and Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan, as well as other prominent Indonesian personalities.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
5 MARCH 2017