Welcome Remarks by President Halimah Yacob at the Reception for Singaporeans in Saudi Arabia

Minister Masagos Zulkifli

Senior Minister of State Dr Koh Poh Koon

Ambassador Wong Chow Ming

Members of Parliament Ms Joan Pereira and Ms Foo Mee Har

Consul-General Raziff Aljunied

Fellow Singaporeans,

A very good evening to you. It is always a delight to meet fellow Singaporeans when I am overseas.

This trip is particularly special as it is my first State Visit to the Middle East, which also included an earlier stop in Kuwait.  This is in fact the first ever State Visit from Singapore to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is an affirmation of the warm and longstanding friendship between the two countries.

Many, including even some Singaporeans, may not be aware that Singapore and Saudi Arabia have strong and meaningful cooperation on many fronts. For instance, we work closely together to ensure the security and comfort of Muslim Singaporeans during their Hajj and Umrah. There is also strong cooperation in the field of education. There are over 20 Singaporean researchers and scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and 60 Singaporeans studying across Saudi universities, including the Islamic University of Madinah.  I am glad that some of you are present tonight. I have also raised the issue of Haij quota to His Majesty King Salman when we met. We do have a huge backlog of Haij applicants and I hope the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia can consider our appeal to clear the backlog.

With Saudi Arabia being one of Singapore’s largest economic partners in the Middle East, many Saudi giants, such as Saudi Aramco and SABIC have a presence in Singapore. With this State Visit, I hope Singapore can do even more with Saudi Arabia and the two countries can take bilateral relations to a new level. Yesterday, we signed an MOU on environmental protection and water resources management. This is another good catalyst for deeper cooperation, and will provide more opportunities for the peoples of both countries. I also understand that there are a number of Singaporeans working for these companies here in Saudi Arabia, and I thank all of you for flying Singapore’s flag high. I met members of the Singapore Business Federation earlier and they shared they had very meaningful and good discussions with their counterparts in Saudi Arabia. Hopefully, this will lead to deeper co-operations between the private sector of both countries.

As you continue to live, work or study here, I encourage you to remain closely connected with each other and your loved ones back home. This has been make easier with the good connectivity that we have. I hope that all of you will continue to give your support to the Singapore Missions in Saudi Arabia, and attend their receptions and get-togethers to stay plugged in.

I also hope that all of you will find the chance to return to Singapore when you can. We are constantly transforming and rejuvenating Singapore. Many of you who returned recently would have visited our remarkable Jewel Changi. We also have plans to transform the Greater Southern Waterfront, which covers 30 kilometres of Singapore’s southern coastline, as well as ongoing projects in the Punggol Digital District, Tuas Port and Jurong Lake District. We are constantly looking at how to improve the lives of Singaporeans through improving the environment and the facilities we provided to our people. We are making headway in our Smart Nation push. These are all exciting projects that would give all Singaporeans access to good homes, good schools and good jobs.

In closing, let me thank all of you for attending tonight’s reception, especially for those who have to travel long distances to be here.  I look forward to chatting with all of you this evening, and I wish you an enjoyable night ahead.

Thank you.