Choice of Brunei for first overseas state visit reflects ‘special relationship’ both countries share: President Tharman
Singapore and Brunei commemorate 40 years of diplomatic ties this year.
Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (centre) and his wife Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam (right) meet Singaporeans living in Brunei on Jan 24, 2024 during a state visit to the country.
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JERUDONG, Brunei: Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam met with about 400 Singaporeans living in Brunei on Wednesday (Jan 24) evening on the first day of his state visit to the country.
Mr Tharman said it is not incidental that he chose Brunei to be the country of his first overseas state visit, adding that it reflects the “special relationship” the two countries share.
Singapore and Brunei commemorate 40 years of diplomatic ties this year.
BUILDING THE SINGAPORE IMAGE
Mr Tharman commended the Singaporeans in Brunei, saying they play important roles in building the Singapore image.
“Your experience here also enriches Singapore,” he said. “Because you get to develop a new way of looking at Singapore, looking at the world, and we need that diversity of perspectives in Singapore.
“So I'm sure when you eventually return, you'll be adding something to Singapore that comes from your experience having lived overseas, and that too, is valuable.”
Mr Tharman is on a three-day state visit to Brunei from Wednesday to Friday at the invitation of the country’s monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
He is accompanied by Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, and a delegation that includes National Development Minister Desmond Lee, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education Maliki Osman.
On Thursday, Mr Tharman received a ceremonial welcome at the Istana Nurul Iman. He will also visit Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel who are training in Brunei, and be hosted to a state banquet by the Sultan and his wife.
Mr Tharman’s state visit comes shortly after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and some of his cabinet ministers attended the royal wedding of Brunei's Prince Abdul Mateen earlier this month.
CLOSE TIES BETWEEN BOTH COUNTRIES
The relationship shared by the two sides is underpinned by close ties between their leaders, starting from former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and the late Seri Begawan Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien, father of the current Sultan.
Singapore and Brunei hold frequent and regular high-level exchanges.
Finance and defence cooperation are the two key pillars of bilateral relations, reflected in the longstanding Currency Interchangeability Agreement, which has helped facilitate trade and investment flows, and Brunei’s provision of training facilities for the SAF.
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Economic cooperation between the two countries, which are heavily dependent on external trade, is strong.
In 2022, Singapore was Brunei’s fourth largest trading partner in goods. Singapore’s total trade in goods with Brunei was S$3.83 billion (US$2.86 billion) in 2022, an increase of 41.6 per cent from 2021.
“The empathy is there. Because we are both small states,” said Dr Alan Chong, senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
“Small states have to survive by being ‘eternally paranoid’ and vigilant. And this is where there are unquantifiable aspects to this special friendship.”
