Abu Dhabi Crown Prince meets President and PM of Singapore

Singapore: General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, on Wednesday met with President S.R. Nathan and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of the Republic of Singapore.

Also present at both meetings were Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works, Mohammad Al Bowardi, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority and Mohammad Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Under Secretary at the Crown Prince's Court.

Discussions at the meetings focused on ways to boost bilateral relations between the two countries in various areas. They also discussed the situation in the Middle East region, latest developments on the international scene and other issues of mutual interest.

Shaikh Mohammad praised the growing level of ties between the UAE and Singapore. "Cooperation between organizations from Abu Dhabi and Singapore has expanded significantly in recent years, at both business-to-business and government-to-government levels. We are fortunate to enjoy strong and friendly ties with such a dynamic economy and society," Shaikh Mohammad said in a statement after the meeting.

The Singaporean President underscored the strong existing relations of friendship between the two countries and described it as "a model of partnership worth emulating" for mutual interest.

The delegation was then hosted for an official lunch by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
Wednesday's meetings mark the end of a two-day visit to Singapore by the delegation.

The visit also included a tour of two Singapore-based centres of education and innovation, followed by dinner with members of the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum, the Singapore Business Federation and the Singapore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, hosted by Lee Yi Shyan, Singapore's Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Manpower.

The expansion of ties between Abu Dhabi and Singapore has been accelerated in recent years under the umbrella of the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum. Originally established as a business forum in 2007, the forum was broadened to become the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum in 2008, in order to facilitate both business-to-business and government-to-government cooperation between Abu Dhabi and Singapore.

The UAE-Singapore relationship also continues to expand at a rapid pace. Total trade between Singapore and the UAE grew by more than 20 per cent from 2007, totaling more than $10 billion last year. The UAE was Singapore's second largest trading partner from the Middle East in 2008. Foreign direct investments from the UAE into Singapore increased to over US$450 million at the end of 2007, while the value of Singapore projects secured in Abu Dhabi totaled more than US$5 billion as of 2008.

At the government-level, several Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) have been signed between Abu Dhabi and Singapore Government entities in areas as diverse as maritime transport, police cooperation, civil service development, environment, food safety and tourism. The UAE Central Bank also signed an MOU with the Monetary Authority of Singapore in March 2009 to facilitate greater cooperation and information exchange with a particular focus on banking and financial supervision.