RIYADH, 22 June 2007 — Minister of State for Trade and Industry of Singapore Lee Yi Shyan will arrive in Jeddah today to attend the inaugural session of the Saudi-Singapore Business Forum and to hold talks on a hot of bilateral and international issues. During this five-day long trip to the Kingdom, Lee will also visit prominent Saudi cities including Riyadh and Dammam.
“Lee is also expected to meet political leaders, senior officials and business leaders to discuss how Singapore can further strengthen bilateral economic relations with Saudi Arabia,” said a statement released by the Singapore embassy, here yesterday. Lee will be accompanied by a number of senior officials from the Singapore’s ministries of trade and industry, foreign affairs and international enterprise.
On commercial front, the two countries have forged closer ties. The two countries signed four major agreements including an accord for holding political consultations and an investment protection treaty during the visit of Crown Prince Sultan to Singapore recently. Saudi Arabia and Singapore have also evinced keen interest to increase their cooperation in many other sectors especially in the field of higher education.
The Kingdom has already announced its intention to send some 500 students to that Southeast Asian nation for higher studies every year. The two countries are also working together to forge closer cooperation on regional levels. Within this framework, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has already launched negotiations with Singapore for a free-trade agreement.
