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The Istana
Speeches

Opening Remarks by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Audience with Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, King of Malaysia, at Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 13 July 2026

13 July 2026

Your Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia

Your Majesty, Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia


  1. Selamat Pagi dan Salam Sejahtera.

  2. My wife and I are deeply honoured to call on Your Majesties today. My State Visit to Malaysia follows Your Majesty’s State Visit to Singapore in May 2024, which was your first as the King of Malaysia. Your Majesty is a close and longstanding friend of Singapore. Your visit carried the warmth and genuine personal interest that your Majesty takes in the bilateral relationship.  My visit reciprocates in both form and spirit. It keeps up the momentum of high-level exchanges and reflects the unique depth and strength of cooperation, and affinity, between our two countries.

  3. The Singapore-Malaysia relationship indeed has a quality that is difficult to find elsewhere, a quality that goes well beyond the here and now.  What has always defined the bilateral relationship is the consistent choice, across every generation of leadership, to keep looking to the future and building together.

  4. We share a history of coming together in difficult circumstances, followed by a separation that was just as difficult for both sides. We have also had important issues to resolve from time to time – issues that reflect the very interdependence of the two countries. But we have not let these issues affect our ability to work on positive and new areas of cooperation.

  5. That basic orientation, of focusing always on the larger goal of growing together and expanding our shared interests, has made ours a robust relationship – in fact a bit of a rarity in today’s world.

  6. Our economic partnership is already strong, but we are building further.

    1. The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link are two current examples of that shared ambition. They reflect our mutual desire to grow the complementarity between our economies.

  7. The completion of the RTS will also boost exchanges between our peoples, be it in tourism, healthcare, or education. It will help a younger generation of Singaporeans and Malaysians go through life with a familiarity, appreciation and good understanding of one another.

  8. Ultimately, the physical and economic infrastructure we develop rests on that deeper foundation of social affinity. Our peoples have been deeply connected for generations, through everyday life, work, language, festivals, and family ties – not to forget a love for the same foods.

  9. Many Singaporean families, including my own, have histories and continuing ties across the border. And the many Malaysians and Singaporeans who work and live in each other’s countries are the living expression of the natural interconnection among our peoples.

  10. It is this enduring sense of kinship and partnership that gives us added confidence as we navigate an increasingly divided world, knowing we can rely on one another.

  11. As the Malay saying goes – Berat sama dipikul, ringan sama dijinjing. Whether the load is heavy or light, we carry it together.  That, we must hope, is the spirit that will continue to guide us.

  12. Thank you.

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