Speech by President at State Banquet Hosted in Honour of King Letsie III

Your Majesty,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is with great pleasure that I warmly welcome Your Majesty and the members of your delegation to Singapore.

In 1989, Your Majesty’s father, the late King Moshoeshoe made a State Visit to Singapore and one year later, our two countries established diplomatic relations.  That visit marked the start of a warm and enduring friendship between our two countries.  I am confident that Your Majesty’s visit will further cement bilateral ties and pave the way for new areas of cooperation. 

Your Majesty,

At first glance, one would wonder what our two countries share in common and where the possible areas of cooperation lie.  In terms of geography, we are poles apart. Your Majesty hails from a landlocked country that is fondly known as ‘The Kingdom in the Sky’.  The name, I understand, reflects your strikingly beautiful mountainous country with peaks reaching almost 4000m.  Singapore on the other hand, is a low-lying island state and historically flourished as a port city, but also surrounded by large neighbours. 

The Basotho people have occupied southern Africa since the 5th century though the nation of Basotho was established in the 1800s, the forerunner of present-day Lesotho.  Singapore is a multi cultural, multi racial society descended from immigrants looking for a better life. 

Despite our different geography, history and culture, there is much that we share in terms of our development priorities.  Lesotho and Singapore are both small countries which place great emphasis on education and human resource development. Both countries recognise the importance of public sector reform and the need to build human capital to achieve sustained economic development.  I am pleased to note that to-date more than 200 Lesotho officials have been trained under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). The fields in which they have been trained are broad ranging, including sectors such as civil aviation, information technology, tourism, environment, healthcare, urban planning and development, and governance. We look forward to welcoming more of your officials to take advantage of these opportunities as part of our commitment to Lesotho.   I am also pleased to note that during Your Majesty’s visit, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise that will pave the way to enhance cooperation and the export of Singapore’s public sector expertise.

Your Majesty,

We deeply value our relations with Lesotho, and as small countries, we have often shown support for each other in the international fora.  I would especially like to convey the appreciation of the Government of Singapore to Your Majesty for Lesotho’s steadfast support and friendship.  We share similar views on many multilateral issues and I am confident that we will continue to work together on issues pertinent to us in the international arena. 

Your Majesty,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I invite you now to rise and join me in a toast to:

• The continued good health and success of His Majesty King Letsie III

• The peace, happiness and prosperity of the people of Lesotho

• The continued friendship and close ties between Singapore and Lesotho