PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL DIPLOMATIC RECEPTION

Photo: Singapore Ministry of Communications & Information / Chwee

Diplomats & Honorary Consuls meet at President’s Diplomatic Reception this Year

This year’s President’s Diplomatic Reception was held on 11th July 2019 and this year, the event, which is hosted by President Halimah Yacob to honour the Diplomatic Corps for promoting friendly relations with Singapore, was also attended by Singapore Honorary Consuls-General. In her message to the diplomats, the President said, “We may be a little red dot on the map, but Singapore enjoys excellent bilateral relations with the world. This is due to the good work of our diplomats, who play an important role in bridging understanding and appreciation between Singapore and other countries. It has been a tradition since 1985 to hold the President’s Annual Diplomatic Reception to honour the Diplomatic Corps for promoting friendly relations with Singapore. I hope we will continue to build our people-to-people relations. My thanks to all who joined us for the reception at the Istana.”

8th HCGs Meeting
Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) held its 8th Meeting of Singapore Honorary Consuls-General (HCGs) from 8 to 12 July 2019. The last meeting was held in 2015. Singapore currently has 33 HCGs across 29 countries. Many are distinguished and well-respected individuals in their respective countries and play a key role in promoting Singapore’s political, commercial and diplomatic interests. In honour of their distinguished service, President Halimah Yacob hosted a tea reception for the HCGs and their spouses at the Istana on 10 July 2019 and they also called on the Prime Minister and Mrs Lee Hsien Loong. The next day, they joined the Diplomatic Corps in Singapore to attend the President’s Annual Diplomatic Reception at the Istana. During the 8th Meeting, they also had the opportunity to engage in a conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan separately.