Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam, who is in Perth, Australia for the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers Meeting preceding the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), had bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the UK, Mozambique, Cyprus, Tanzania and Guyana on 26 October 2011.
Minister Shanmugam and British Foreign Secretary William Hague reaffirmed their support for a high-quality Free Trade Agreement between the European Union (EU) and Singapore. They noted the good progress in negotiations and exchanged views on areas of mutual interest. Minister Shanmugam briefed Foreign Secretary Hague on the ASEAN Connectivity Masterplan and invited companies from the EU, including the UK, to participate in the various projects under the Masterplan.
Minister Shanmugam and the Mozambique Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Oldemiro Julio Baloi reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and agreed that there was scope for increased cooperation both bilaterally and on issues of common concern at international fora.
Minister Shanmugam and the Cyprus Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis updated each other on recent developments in their respective regions.
Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bernard Kamillius Membe updated Minister Shanmugam on economic developments in Tanzania. Both Ministers agreed to encourage greater trade and investment flows between Singapore and East Africa by holding business forums and conducting trade and investment missions. The two Ministers also agreed on the importance of vocational education as part of the national education systems. Minster Membe expressed interest in learning from Singapore's experience in establishing vocational training institutes.
Minister Shanmugam informed Guyana Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Allison Rodrigues-Birkett that Singapore values its relations with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, including Guyana. This was welcomed by Minister Rodrigues-Birkett who said that Singapore's success story was an interesting and useful model for the CARICOM countries to study.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
26 OCTOBER 2011