President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's presence in Singapore from May 23-24 is historic, marking the first visit by a Kazakh president to the lion city-state in more than two decades.
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| Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his Kazakh counterpart Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inspect the guard of honour, May 23. (Source: Straits Times) |
Trusted ally
After a solemn welcoming ceremony, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam held talks with the guest from Kazakhstan.
Expressing gratitude for the warm hospitality shown to the Kazakh delegation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recalled his visit to Singapore in the 1970s and was pleased to return as head of state.
Highlighting the cooperative relationship between the two countries, President Tokayev praised Singapore as a reliable ally. He noted the presence of more than 140 Singaporean companies and joint ventures in Kazakhstan, with Singaporean investments in the Kazakh economy exceeding US$1.7 billion.
Kazakhstan, with a population of around 20 million, is Singapore’s largest trading partner in Central Asia. Last year, bilateral trade reached US$1.6 billion. Despite the economic challenges and difficulties caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the two leaders expect bilateral trade to soon surpass the US$2 billion mark.
President Tokayev affirmed that Kazakhstan is ready to open a new chapter in bilateral cooperation, focusing on trustworthy political dialogue and dynamic trade and investment relations.
In response, President Shanmugaratnam praised the development in relations between the two countries and expressed his desire to further strengthen bilateral cooperation. The two leaders discussed in detail opportunities for cooperation in various areas, including trade, economy, investment, culture and humanitarian efforts.
Mr. Tokayev stressed Kazakhstan's deep interest in strengthening partnership with Singapore in key areas such as energy, infrastructure, digital economy, fintech, agriculture, logistics and communications.
The discussions affirmed their shared commitment to promoting beneficial investment projects and strengthening the legal framework in bilateral relations. The two leaders acknowledged the importance of enhancing cooperation in education and human resource development, in line with their shared vision of sustainable growth and long-term prosperity.
6 cooperation agreements
After talks with his host counterpart, President Tokayev met with new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, attended and spoke at the Kazakhstan-Singapore Business Forum with Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, met with senior Singaporean officials and heads of major international companies...
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| Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on May 23. (Source: Straits Times) |
Noting the growing partnership between Singapore and Kazakhstan since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1993, the two leaders discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly in education, food security, green energy and digitalisation. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong encouraged Kazakh companies to use Singapore as a gateway to Southeast Asia and vice versa. Like President Tharman, Prime Minister Wong welcomed Air Astana’s plan to launch direct flights to Singapore.
Prime Minister Wong and President Tokayev welcomed the signing of six government-level agreements during the visit, covering areas such as economic integration, security, business standards, intellectual property (IP) protection, higher education, and legal dispute resolution.
At a bilateral business forum in May last year, Kazakhstan and Singapore signed trade deals worth $275 million, along with bilateral agreements and memorandums of understanding to enhance cooperation in trade, investment, logistics and civil service training.
President Tokayev's presence in Singapore is in response to former President Halimah Yacob's state visit to Kazakhstan in May 2023 - the first visit by a Singaporean President to the Central Asian country.
This is Mr. Tokayev's first visit to Singapore as a head of state. He has visited the Southeast Asian country several times before, when he was a diplomat in the 1970s. He also visited Singapore as Foreign Minister in 2004 and as Speaker of the Senate in 2016.
In an interview with Silk Way TV channel, Singapore's non-resident ambassador to Kazakhstan Zulkifli bin Baharudin described the visit as a unique example of President Tokayev's commitment to friendship and expressed his hope that it will take bilateral relations to new heights based on mutual understanding and sustainable development.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/kazakhstan-san-sang-mo-ra-chuong-moi-trong-hop-tac-voi-singapore-272363.html
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