As both sides mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties tomorrow, efforts are under way to step up closer business and cultural links and cooperation on regional issues.
This year marks an important date for Singapore-Russia interaction – the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our States. This jubilee is a good occasion to evaluate our achievements and outline new avenues of cooperation.
The history of our bilateral ties goes back to the 19th century. Many Russian navigators and people of art visited your country in the past.
In summer 1841, the naval transport Abo under the command of lieutenant commander Andrey Yunker visited Singapore. In his popular book Frigate “Pallada” famous Russian writer Ivan Goncharov vividly depicted the adventures of the marine expedition under the flag of the Rear Admiral Yevfimy Putyatin from Kronstadt via Singapore to Japan. Russian writer and traveler Aleksey Vysheslavtsev too portrayed Singapore in his book, Sketches In Pen and Pensil From A Voyage Around The World in 1857, 1858, 1859 and 1860.
On 27 March 1890, the Russian Consulate, headed by Artemiy Vyvodtsev, was opened in Singapore. The following year it was visited by Tsesarevich Nikolay Aleksandrovich – the future Emperor Nikolay II – during his “Eastern voyage”.
Another milestone in ties between the two countires was marked on April 2,1966 with the signing of a trade agreement. On June 1, 1968, the diplomatic relations were established. In the last 50 years we have made significant progress in many areas of our cooperation. It is hard to overestimate the contribution to these efforts made by the founding father of Singapore, its first prime-minister Lee Kuan Yew. His first official visit to Russia in 1970 was a landmark event. It was largely his political will that kept the diverse areas of cooperation going in the decades that followed.
Modern Singapore is an important and promising partner for Russia in the Asia-Pacific region. Our relations are based on equal mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests. Significant impetus to their development was given by the negotiations between Prime-Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong and Russian President Vladimir Putin that took place on the margins of the ASEAN-Russia summit in Sochi in 2016.
There is also progress in inter-parliamentary exchanges. In April 2013, the Speaker of Singapore Parliament Halimah Yacob visited Moscow. In March 2016, the Chair of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Valentina Matvienko, made a successful official visit to Singapore. Legislators of both countries fruitfully cooperate in international arenas, including in the framework of annual meetings of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the ASEAN Inter‑Parliamentary Assembly.
The consistent implementation of the agreements reached at the highest level helps enhance mutually beneficial cooperation in trade and economic, investment and humanitarian spheres. An important role here is played by the Intergovernmental Singapore-Russia High-Level Commission, whose eighth meeting took place last October.
We are glad to state that despite the difficulties in the global economic environment, bilateral trade has gone well; it reached USD 4.4 billion last year, a 94% rise over the fugure for 2016. I Futher improvement in trade? investment and technology exchange will indoubtedly be facilitated by a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and the Republic of Singapore.
We should invest our joint efforts in such promising areas as special economic zones, energy sector, transport, agro-industry, infrastructure development, and information-communication technology.
We have successfully implemented a number of cooperation projects, including the Moglino industrial special economic zone in the Pskov region and the Innopolis Kazan innovative centre in Tatarstan.
Investment plans are being realized: Singapore’s Changi Airports International helps manage regional airports in Krasnodar, Gelendzhik, Anapa, Sochi and Vladivostok while Olam International corporation is involved in developing livestock farming and dairy production in the Penza region. In turn, major Russian companies, such as LUKOIL PJSC, Gazprom PJSC, VTB Capital investment bank, Kaspersky Lab JSC and Sportmaster LLC, operate successfully in Singapore.
Direct contact between Russian and Singapore business communities is to be encouraged. The annual Russia-Singapore Business Forum remains a sought-after platform for such dialogue. The Russia-Singapore Business Council, together with Rostec State Corporation, supported the opening of the Center for Foreign Promotion of Russian High-Tech Companies in Singapore last year.
Over 200 Russian specialists and public employees have undertaken training in short‑term courses in Singapore.
We intend to step up futher exchange between education and scientific institutions. The establishment of a Russian Cultural Center, which will house a Russian Orthodox Church, in Singapore is an important step in deepening cultural understanding and people-to-people ties.
Singapore and Russia share common or similar approaches to many issues on the global and regional issues. We cooperate effectively within such multilateral mechanisms, as the UN, APEC, the ASEAN-Russia Dialogue Partnership, the ARF, the EAS and ASEM. Russia is ready for a much closer foreign political coordination, including with a view to creating in the Asia-Pacific region an equal and indivisible security architecture based on the principles of international law, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-use of force or threat of force, and non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign States.
In the last 50 years, we have managed to strengthen and multiply bonds of friendship and cooperation based on mutual respect and trust. Today, life sets new ambitious targets to further develop bilateral ties and advance them to a higher level. I am convinced that our joint efforts are well enough to achieve impressive results for the benefit of our States, with a view to ensuring peace, security and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.
Source: https://www.straitstimes.com/opinion/spore-and-russia-forging-new-and-stronger-bonds
