Speech by President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the State Dinner hosted in Honour of HE Anibal Cavaco Silva, President of the Portuguese Republic and Mrs Maria Cavaco Silva

Your Excellency Mr Aníbal Cavaco Silva
President of the Portuguese Republic

First Lady Mrs Maria Cavaco Silva

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

        Good evening. It gives me great pleasure to welcome Your Excellency and your delegation to Singapore. I am honoured to have the privilege to host the first State Visit by a Portuguese Head of State to Singapore. 

        Recent exchanges of high-level visits between our two countries have reinforced our warm bilateral ties. After Singapore’s then-Foreign Minister George Yeo visited Lisbon in 2007, Portugal’s then-Foreign Minister Luís Amado reciprocated with a visit to Singapore in 2009. The exchanges between our two foreign ministers paved the way for the establishment of the Portuguese Embassy in Singapore in 2009, which demonstrated Portugal’s strong commitment to deepen its engagement with Singapore and ASEAN. In January this year, a member of the Portuguese National Assembly Mr Basilio Horta set up a Portugal-Singapore Friendship group to provide a new platform for closer inter-parliamentary relations between Portugal and Singapore.

        Your Excellency’s visit has brought our bilateral relations to a new level.  I was pleased to join you this morning to witness the signing of three new agreements between Singapore and Portugal, which will enhance cooperation between our two countries in various fields including aviation, taxation, education, science and technology, the arts and culture, youth and sports, and the media. The signing of the agreements bear testimony to the broadening ties between our two countries.

        Singapore has been closely following the recent developments in Europe. We applaud Portugal for its perseverance and fortitude in pursuing economic reforms and austerity measures to tackle the on-going crisis, while remaining strong advocates for further trade liberalisation. We wish Portugal well in working closely with its partners in the European Union, and especially in the Eurozone, to carry out the difficult adjustments in economic and social policies which are needed to rectify imbalances and restore economic stability and growth. I am confident that both Portugal and Europe will overcome the difficulties and emerge stronger. 

        Amid the uncertain global economic outlook, it is important for small countries like Portugal and Singapore to maintain close links and continue to be the voice for free trade and open markets. In this context, I am pleased that a business delegation from Portugal is visiting Singapore in conjunction with Your Excellency’s State Visit. There is potential for mutually beneficial collaborations between the business communities of our two countries.

        I am also pleased to note the good progress that has been made in the ongoing negotiations for the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. A comprehensive and high quality Free Trade Agreement will bring about greater trade and investment flows between the EU and Singapore, provide new opportunities to our businesses and consumers, and contribute to growth in our respective economies. I look forward to the successful conclusion of the agreement in the near future. 

        In August, Singapore and Portugal will mark the 22nd Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. While diplomatic relations between our two countries are of relatively recent vintage, people-to-people ties between Singapore and Portugal have a much longer and richer history. Portugal first made contact with Southeast Asia in 1511 and established trade between Asia and Europe. More than 500 years later, many manifestations of the Portuguese legacy are still visible in Singapore.

        The Church of Saint Joseph at Victoria Street, a national monument of Singapore, was constructed by the Portuguese Mission in 1853.  The popular Malay folk dance, the “joget”, which is still performed at community clubs all over Singapore today, is influenced by Portuguese cultural traditions. According to one researcher, 400 words in the Malay language are of Portuguese origins. These include common household words like meja (table), garpu (fork), almari (wardrobe), jendela (window) and kereta (car). An old Portuguese song, the “Jingkli Nona” is widely regarded as the unofficial anthem of the Portuguese Eurasian community in Singapore. 

        The Portuguese Eurasian community in Singapore – some of whom are here this evening – has made significant contributions to Singapore’s development. Between 1920 and 1940, 50 percent of the doctors in Singapore were Portuguese Eurasians. Many of our civil servants, engineers, nurses and teachers are from the community. The community, which is very well represented in the arts sector, has also added colour and vibrancy to our cultural scene.

Your Excellency President Cavaco Silva

Mrs Cavaco Silva

Excellencies

Ladies and Gentlemen

        The close friendship between our two countries and peoples is underpinned by shared interests as small, outward-looking nations. Relations between Singapore and Portugal are in excellent shape, bolstered by close historical links, strong people-to-people ties and expanding cooperation in both the bilateral and international arenas. Your visit to Singapore, Your Excellency, will build on this momentum and strengthen the ties that bind our two countries and peoples.

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

·         The continued good health and success of His Excellency President Cavaco Silva and First Lady Cavaco Silva; and

·         The enduring and close friendship between the Portuguese Republic and the Republic of Singapore.