Singapore fascinated by Bangladesh's development

Singapore's President Halimah Yakub has said that Singapore is fascinated by the ongoing development and progress of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He also lauded the Bangladesh government for providing shelter to more than one million displaced Rohingyas in Myanmar.

Singapore's President Halimah Yakub made the remarks during a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday (April 19th) afternoon at the Presidential Palace in Istana.

Dr Momen emphasized the need for continued international pressure on the Myanmar government to repatriate the displaced Rohingya and sought the cooperation of the Singapore government.

He also requested the Government of Singapore to consider positively the proposal for Bangladesh's inclusion in the ASEAN Summit as a Sectoral Dialogue Partner.

At the same time, President Halimah Yakub assured the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh of all possible cooperation from the Government of Singapore in both cases.

The President of Singapore expressed hope that the cooperation and communication between the two friendly countries would be further intensified on the golden jubilee of Bangladesh-Singapore diplomatic relations.

Dr. Momen emphasized the importance of finalizing and signing a bilateral free trade agreement to expand trade and investment between the two countries, expanding Bangladesh's labor market in Singapore, safeguarding the interests of expatriate workers, increasing training opportunities and technical cooperation in various sectors including agriculture, industry, education, medicine, energy and ICT. 

During the meeting, Dr. Momen greeted Halimah Yakub on behalf of the President and Prime Minister of Bangladesh and invited him to visit Bangladesh at a convenient time.

Foreign Minister Dr Momen is currently in Singapore on a three-day official visit at the invitation of the Singaporean government.