Taoiseach on first official visit to Singapore
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today became the first Taoiseach to ever make an official visit to Singapore, on foot of a formal invitation from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2003.
His first engagement in Singapore was to address a business breakfast forum hosted by the European Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise Ireland at 1.30am Irish time, 8.30am local time.
Speaking before the breakfast forum, the Taoiseach said: "Ireland has much to gain from enhanced co-operation with Singapore in the fields of education, science and technology.
“There has been a dramatic rise in trade between Ireland and Singapore over the past decade."
The visit comes on the third leg of his visit to South East Asia.
In 2003, two-way trade was worth in excess of €1.7bn, making Singapore one of Ireland's top trading partners in Asia.
Later in Istana, the Taoiseach will meet with the Prime Minister Loong to discuss enhanced co-operation on matters of trade, tourism and education.
The Taoiseach will also pay a courtesy call on the President of the Republic of Singapore, SR Nathan.
In the afternoon, the Taoiseach will travel to Biopolis, a purpose-built biomedical research hub where researchers oversee the public sector's R&D research activities in Singapore.
There he will view the A*Star facilities (Agency for Science, Technology and Research), a government agency which seeks to advance Singapore as a knowledge-based economy.
Later in the evening, the Taoiseach will attend a reception for members of the Irish community in Singapore.
The Taoiseach said: "The Asia Strategy aims to promote Ireland's foreign earnings in Asia, to raise the awareness of Ireland in the region, and to develop and strengthen Ireland's ties with Asia.
“I am here as part of that strategy, to deepen our relations with the Government of the Republic of Singapore, to make Ireland better known here, and to support representatives of Irish business in their approach to the Singapore and regional markets.”
Mr Ahern then departs Singapore for the next leg of his official visit and travels onto Bahrain.
