Toast Speech by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the State Banquet in Honour of President of The Republic of Maldives Dr Mohamed Muizzu on 30 June 2025 at Fullerton Hotel

Your Excellency President Dr Mohamed Muizzu

Madam Sajidha Mohamed

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

1. My wife and I are delighted to welcome President Muizzu and Madam Sajidha to Singapore. Your State Visit marks an important milestone in the friendship between our two nations – the 50^th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
    

2. This evening, we come together not just to reaffirm old ties, but to look ahead to fresh opportunities to work together and learn from each other, and to build resilience in an uncertain world.

3. Singapore and the Maldives are close partners in more ways than our two countries’ small size might suggest. We both rely on the world for trade, ideas, and growth. And we both share the instinct that if we stay open and outward-looking, and keep investing in our people, we can chart our own course, and turn our constraints as island states into opportunity.

4. The Maldives has established itself as a world-renowned destination for luxury tourism, and is building deep expertise in sustainability and marine conservation. Singapore, for its part, has harnessed its human capital and geography to become a regional and global hub for trade, finance, and innovation.

5. Our bilateral ties have grown steadily over the last five decades. Several Singapore companies, including Banyan Tree Holdings, have invested in the Maldives' tourism industry and infrastructure development. We also share strong people-to-people ties. Through the Singapore Cooperation Programme, we have trained more than 1,600 Maldivian officials across various domains, fostering lasting professional networks and friendships.

6. Nevertheless, there is much more we can do together. Earlier today, President Muizzu and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong witnessed the signing of three agreements that will expand our cooperation in capacity building, sustainability and environment, and higher technical and vocational education. There are also opportunities to deepen cooperation in areas like training for hospitality and sustainable tourism practices.

7. Further, there is potential to grow cooperation in seafood and other products exports from the Maldives. Singapore can help expand markets for these exports in East Asia, using its logistics networks, cold chain capabilities and other services to ensure short lead-time-to-market, potentially lower logistics costs, and productintegrity. 

8. In today’s profoundly complex global environment, it is also important that our partnership extends beyond bilateral cooperation. As small island states, Singapore and the Maldives feel the impact of global shifts more acutely than most. Not least in the effects of climate change, and how we respond to it. Rising seas, increased warming and extreme weather, and increasingly fragile natural ecosystems pose a fundamental threat to all nations, but impact small island states in unique ways. They are also challenges that we cannot face alone.

9. The Maldives has played a leading role in advocating climate action on the global stage, and its commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2030 is admirable. Singapore shares your sense of urgency, and we look forward to working closely together at multilateral fora to strengthen collective actions for climate resilience and adaptation.
   
   Your Excellency,
   Distinguished guests,
   Ladies and gentlemen,
   

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

To the good health and success of His Excellency President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Madam Sajidha Mohamed;

To the continued peace and prosperity of the Maldives; and

To the enduring friendship between Singapore and the Maldives.