Visit also marks inaugural Saudi-Singapore Joint Committee (SSJC) Meeting in Riyadh in January
MINISTER of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Highness Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud made an Official Visit to Singapore last week on 13th Janaury 2022 at Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s invitation. Prince Faisal called separately on President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana.
President Halimah and Prince Faisal reaffirmed the longstanding relations between Singapore and Saudi Arabia as 2022 marks the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations. President Halimah welcomed the inaugural Saudi-Singapore Joint Committee (SSJC) meeting held in Riyadh last month. President Halimah also congratulated Saudi Arabia for its successful management of the Haj pilgrimage and reiterated Singapore’s request for an increased Haj quota when Haj is resumed for Singaporean pilgrims.
Prime Minister Lee and Prince Faisal welcomed the stepping-up of bilateral engagement including through the SSJC which provides a useful platform to strengthen economic cooperation in support of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Prime Minister Lee agreed that there was scope for companies from both countries to explore opportunities in our respective regions.
During his visit, Prince Faisal also met Minister Balakrishnan and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Second Minister for Education Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman. The Ministers agreed that there was scope to deepen bilateral cooperation. Both countries have also collaborated on issues of mutual interest at multilateral fora. The Ministers also had a good exchange of views on regional developments in the Middle East and Asia.
Separately, Prince Faisal met Minister for Social and Family Development, Second Minister for Health and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli. Minister Masagos noted that people-to-people ties remain good and expressed appreciation for the support given to Singaporean students in Saudi Arabia.
Photos: Singapore Ministry of Communication and Information and Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs
