Tharman’s London visit to reaffirm Singapore-UK ties
Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam arrived in London yesterday for a five-day visit, keeping up the momentum of bilateral exchanges since the launch of the Singapore-United Kingdom Partnership for the Future earlier this year.
The visit reaffirms the strong and multi-faceted relationship between Singapore and the UK, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement.
It also comes as Singapore marks the bicentennial of Sir Stamford Raffles' arrival in Singapore and the beginning of historic ties with Britain.
"Several agreements, including those on digital government and financial cooperation, will be concluded during the visit," said the PMO statement yesterday.
Education Minister Ong Ye Kung and Dr Tan Wu Meng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry, will also be visiting London during the week.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt launched the partnership during Mr Hunt's two-day trip to Singapore in January.
The partnership sees both sides building on existing links and strengthening collaboration, especially in four areas: the digital economy; sustainable business and innovation; security and defence; and education, culture and youth.
Mr Tharman, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Mr Ong and Dr Tan will attend a summit on Thursday, titled the Singapore-UK Partnership for the Future, Singapore Bicentennial 1819 to 2019, organised by the City of London Corporation.
The Freedom of the City of London award will also be conferred on Mr Tharman in recognition of his efforts to strengthen ties between Singapore and London, and for his significant contributions to global financial governance.
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