Speech by President Halimah Yacob at the Reception for Overseas Singaporeans in Germany

Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung

Ambassador Laurence Bay

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and Trade and Industry Dr Tan Wu Meng

Members of Parliament, Dr Fatimah Lateef and Mr Patrick Tay

My fellow Singaporeans,

First of all, let me thank all of you for attending the reception this evening, considering the wet weather. My husband and I are delighted to see so many of you here, and I know some have travelled long distances from other parts of Germany or neighbouring European countries.

It is an honour to be the first Singapore President to make a State Visit to Germany. My visit reciprocates the visit to Singapore in November 2017 by German Federal President Dr Frank-Walter and First Lady Elke Büdenbender.  President Steinmeier’s visit was also the first ever State Visit to Singapore by a German Head of State.

I have just arrived in Frankfurt a couple of hours ago.  During my stay in Berlin earlier this week, I had very good discussions with President Steinmeier, Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Berlin Mayor Michael Müller. From my conversations with the German leaders, it is clear that Singapore has a close, like-minded and reliable partner in Germany. Some of the German companies have been in Singapore for many years. An example is Bosch which I visited on Monday which had been in Singapore since 1923.

Bilateral relationship between Singapore and Germany is strong and underpinned by close cooperation and exchanges, with the potential to grow even stronger. The two countries share similar views on many strategic and global issues, such as free trade, the rule of law, and multilateralism. Singapore and Germany are also committed to tackling climate change, and promoting sustainable development.

Trade and investment, in particular, form the bedrock of the relationship between the two countries. Germany is Singapore’s largest trading partner in the EU. Over the years, more than 1,800 German companies have invested in Singapore, and helped train Singaporeans to be highly skilled workers.  During this trip, I met a group of senior executives from Singapore who are here to explore investment and business opportunities. With the recent entry into force of the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement on 21 November 2019, I am confident that the trade and investment links between Singapore and Germany will continue to grow. 

Both countries also work closely on defence and security. The Armoured divisions of our Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) train in Saxony, and our Navy trains in Kiel. I am glad that some of our SAF soldiers are present with us this evening. I wish to thank you and your families for your contributions to national defence, and for your personal sacrifices away from home.

I am also heartened to see the growing collaboration between Germany and Singapore in education. The Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) are signing six Memorandums of Understanding with leading German companies and vocational schools this week. These collaborations will not only give our students international exposure, but also provide them with access to quality and practical education that better meets the demands of a modern workforce. The transfer of skills and knowledge through collaborations is important, especially in our early years of independence.

Singapore and Germany enjoy close people-to-people ties, and all of you here are testament to that. There are more than 2,000 Singaporeans living in Germany. Many of you study or work here, and are well-positioned to offer the Germans a glimpse of Singapore; maybe even by sharing your favourite Singaporean dishes! I was told that there is a very active “Singaporeans in Germany” community Facebook page, as well as one that shares the best makan recipes!

On this note, I want to encourage all of you to maintain your ties with Singapore. Even though you are physically far away, social media has made us much closer, and it is so much easier to stay in touch with the people we love and the events happening back home. 

Let me end by wishing all of you good health, happiness, and the very best for the New Year ahead.  Thank you.