Singapore DPM Lawrence Wong meets Malaysia’s King
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday reaffirmed the warm and close ties between Singapore and Malaysia during his audience with the country’s King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said Wong reaffirmed the warm, longstanding, and multi-faceted relationship between Singapore and Malaysia, which has been built upon a unique shared history and strong people-to-people ties.
“Deputy Prime Minister Wong said that Singapore looked forward to receiving His Majesty during his state visit to Singapore this month,” the statement said.
Wong’s audience with the King was part of an official four-day visit to Malaysia from Sunday to Wednesday. This is Wong’s first official visit to Malaysia since he became deputy prime minister in June.
Malaysia’s national news agency reported that Wong, who is also the Finance Minister, had a 30-minute audience with Sultan Abdullah at Istana Negara.
Also present were Wong’s wife Loo Tze Lui, and the Queen, Tunku Azizah Iskandar.
Others include Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Amran Mohamed Zin and Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia Vanu Gopala Menon.
The King and Queen also hosted a luncheon for Wong, his wife and the rest of the delegation.
Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said Sultan Abdullah and Wong touched on the special and close relationship between Malaysia and Singapore.
“His Majesty expressed the view that as neighboring countries with deep historical and people-to-people ties, Malaysia and Singapore need to continue to work closely in various fields and at all levels, especially in the post-Covid phase,” said Datuk Seri Ahmad.
The King noted that it was important for both countries to complement each other and strengthen social relations, trade and investments.
“His Majesty said that as two close neighbors, Malaysia will continue to commit to strengthening relations and cooperation with Singapore,” Ahmad said.
Both the King and Wong also touched on several issues of mutual interest during the meeting, including Sultan Abdullah’s upcoming three-day state visit to Singapore from Sept 19.
“The state visit will further strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore,” added Ahmad.