The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs being in Singapore on an official  visit on February 28th was received by Tony Tan Keng Yam, the President of  Singapore.

Welcoming the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Singapore’s President noted, “The Armenians have left a deep trace in the history of our country  and had a great contribution to the development of the state, the great  proof of which is the fact that the Orchid flower, Singapore’s national  symbol – is named Wanda Zhao Kimi, a Singaporean with an Armenian origin  and the country's first church in the 19th century was built by the Christian  Armenians.”

Thanking for the reception, Minister Nalbandian conveyed Singapore’s  President the greetings and wishes of the President of the Republic of  Armenia. Minister Nalbandian mentioned that the visit of Singapore's  Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew to Armenia in 2009 opened a new page in the  relations between the two countries.

The Armenian Minister expressed hope,  as well that the state visit of the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to Singapore by the invitation of President Tony Tan Keng Yam would give a new impetus to the development of the friendly interaction between the two countries.

The President of Singapore asked the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs to pass to President Sargsyan that Singapore is waiting for the first visit of the Armenian President in bilateral history with warmth and pleasure.

Singapore’s President and the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs discussed the steps to be undertaken towards the development of bilateral relations, as well as the possibilities to expand economic cooperation and the interaction in the field of investment. The sides exchanged views on international agenda issues, as well.

On the same day took place the talks between Edward Nalbandian and Singapore’s Foreign Minister K Shanmugam, the agenda of which included preparatory works of the Armenian President to Singapore and the possibilities of the expansion of bilateral cooperation in various spheres.

Minister Shanmugam underlined that the first visit of the Armenian President to Singapore on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries is a symbolic one and would give a new impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Singapore had a thorough talk on the issues related to the reinforcement of legal framework and agreed to prepare a number of documents for signing in the near future.

Singapore’s Minister of Foreign Affairs attached great importance to the contribution of the Armenian community in Singapore to the development of his country. Minister Nalbandian expressed gratitude for their caring attitude towards the Armenian cultural heritage existing in Singapore.

The sides discussed in detail a number of issues of an international importance, in particular the Asian regional issues and the developmentsunrolling in the Middle East.

In the course of the meeting the cooperation being conducted in the frames of the ASEAN was touched upon, as well.

Minister Nalbandian presented his Singaporean counterpart the steps being undertaken by Armenian towards the maintenance of security and cooperation in the region and the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

The discussions were continued during the official dinner hosted by the Singaporean Minister of Foreign Affairs in honor of the Armenian Minister
of Foreign Affairs.

In Singapore Edward Nalbandian visited the Armenian Church of St. Gregory Lusavorich (Illuminator) built in 1835 where he had a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community. The Armenians in Singapore informed Edward Nalbandian about their activities, preservation of the Armenian identity and cultural heritage in Singapore.

Concluding the visit on the same day Edward Nalbandian left for Yerevan.