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President Tharman to head to Brunei in his first overseas state visit

2024-01-15 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-新加坡原网页

SINGAPORE – President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be in Brunei from Jan 24 to 26 for his first overseas state visit since taking office.

He was invited by Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and the three-day state visit coincides with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Singapore’s diplomatic relations with Brunei, said the President’s Office in a statement on Jan 15.

Mr Tharman will receive a ceremonial welcome at Istana Nurul Iman – Sultan Bolkiah’s official residence – followed by a bilateral meeting with the Sultan.

He will also be hosted to a state banquet by the Sultan and his wife, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha.

During these engagements, the President will meet senior members of the Bruneian royal family and the Cabinet, including Brunei’s Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah.

While in the country, Mr Tharman will visit Singapore Armed Forces personnel training there and meet Brunei’s Singaporean community at a reception, said the President’s Office.

The President will be accompanied by his spouse, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam; National Development Minister Desmond Lee; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs and Education Maliki Osman; Minister of State for Education and Manpower Gan Siow Huang; and MPs Mariam Jaafar and Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

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Officials from the President’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education will also be part of the delegation.

The President’s state visit will follow a working visit to Switzerland from Jan 16 to 21.

In the first leg of the working visit, Mr Tharman will visit Davos from Jan 16 to 19 for the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting, where he will meet government leaders from several countries, as well as senior business and philanthropic leaders.

He will also participate in sessions on global economic and ecological challenges and strategies, and attend a meeting of the WEF Board of Trustees.

Communications and Information Minister Josephine Teo and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng are also attending the WEF.

From Jan 19 to 21, Mr Tharman will be in Zurich, where he will co-chair the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. Launched in May 2022, the commission, which is made up of experts, community leaders and practitioners from a broad range of science, policy and front-line practice expertise, is redefining how water is valued and managed for the common good.

The President will also meet several members of the Singapore community in Switzerland.

He will be accompanied by officials from the Economic Development Board, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, and the President’s Office.

During Mr Tharman’s absence, Mr Eddie Teo, chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers, will exercise the functions of the Office of the President, said the President’s Office.