Speech by President at the State Banquet in honour of Austrian President Dr Heinz Fischer

Your Excellency Dr Heinz Fischer
Mrs Fischer
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Let me, at the outset, extend to Your Excellency, Mrs Fischer, and members of your distinguished delegation a warm welcome to Singapore.  Your visit is a clear expression of the close friendship that has existed between our two countries and peoples over the years.  Hopefully, this will lead to a new chapter in Singapore-Austria co-operation across the different sectors, bringing relations to an even higher plane.

Cooperation between Austria and Singapore comes quite naturally as we have much in common.  We face similar challenges as open global economies and as hubs in our respective regions.  Hence, despite the distance separating our two countries, Austria and Singapore have developed a comfortable rapport with each other.

Since diplomatic relations were established in 1966, our two countries have cooperated over a broad range of areas.  I want to highlight a few sectors.  The first is on inter-cultural and inter-faith understanding.  Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed led the visit of a multi-agency delegation from Singapore to Austria last year at the invitation of the Austrian Government.  The delegation benefited substantially from its exchange of perspectives on integration and the management of diversity issues with government officials, academics and activists from religious and civil society organisations in Austria.  Such open-spirited dialogue is valuable in today's interdependent but yet often polarised world.

Exchanges between Austria and Singapore in arts and culture have also expanded and intensified over the years.  Singapore has been privileged to host several visits by Austrian artists and musicians, ranging from the Vienna State Opera, the well-loved Vienna Boys' Choir, to even a Vegetable Orchestra.  Singaporean artists have received a warm welcome in Austria.  They participated in the 2003 Ars Electronica Festival.  More recently, local visual artist Charles Lim was selected to participate in the 2009 Biennale Cuvee - World Selection of Contemporary Art in Linz.  His works were featured along with many others from Asia, exposing art enthusiasts in Austria to the best of contemporary art from the region. 

These exchanges have fostered people-to-people exchanges and links that complement more formal and high-level efforts to promote mutual understanding between our two countries.  On the economic front, prospects for further bilateral cooperation between Singapore and Austria are certainly promising.  Singapore is a preferred gateway to the booming economies of China and India, as well as Southeast Asia.  Austria continues to serve its historical role as a hub in Europe, particularly for Central and Eastern Europe.   Therein lies a natural synergy that we can leverage on for mutual benefit.

I am pleased that a delegation of Austrian businessmen is visiting Singapore in conjunction with Your Excellency’s State Visit and will be participating in the Singapore-Austria Economic Forum tomorrow.  The Forum is timely.  There is considerable potential for Austrian and Singapore companies to collaborate to offer services in, for example, environmental technology and precision engineering.  The Singapore-Austria Avoidance of Double Taxation (DTA) and other bilateral agreements to foster bilateral economic cooperation should facilitate ground-breaking collaborations in these sectors. 

I am also glad that Your Excellency will be visiting Fusionopolis, Nanyang Technological University, the ArtScience Museum and the National Museum.  They will give you a good perspective of some of the things we are doing to make Singapore a vibrant and vital cosmopolitan city to live, work and play in.  Your visits should inspire new ideas for collaboration and help our friendship and cooperation continue to grow in strength.

Your Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

May I now invite you to join me in a toast:

• to the continued good health and success of His Excellency Dr Heinz Fischer and Mrs Margit Fischer; and

• to deeper and stronger ties between the Republic of Austria and the Republic of Singapore and their peoples.

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