Indonesia and Singapore have signed important defence and extradition agreements

In what is viewed as a "significant step forward" in relations between the two Southeast Asian neighbours, Indonesia and Singapore inked a series of agreements on Tuesday addressing extradition, defence, and airspace control.

Following a meeting between President Joko Widodo and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Indonesia's Bintan island as part of their annual leader's retreat, senior cabinet ministers signed the agreements.

"Today, our bilateral ties take a huge stride forward," Lee remarked at a joint press conference broadcast on the State Secretariat of Indonesia's YouTube page.

Through a defence cooperation agreement, both countries agreed to realign the boundary of their respective flight information zones while also strengthening collaboration and fostering tighter engagement between their armed services.

"In the future, we hope that the two nations' collaboration in law enforcement, aviation safety, and defence and security would be strengthened based on the principle of mutual benefit," Widodo said.

Today's milestones, according to Fitri Bintang, a researcher at Jakarta's Center for Strategic International Studies, are "marks of growing relations" between Indonesia and Singapore.

The two countries recently signed an extradition pact, under which fugitives can be extradited for a wide range of crimes committed up to 18 years ago.

"The extradition deal would strengthen collaboration in the fight against crime and convey a strong, positive message to investors," Lee added.

The extradition treaty will serve as a deterrent for criminals in Indonesia and Singapore, according to Indonesian Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly.

"If the two countries quickly ratify the extradition treaty, both countries' law enforcement agencies will be able to use it to prevent and combat transnational crimes like corruption and terrorism," he added.