SINGAPORE – Singapore and the United Arab Emirates have signed eight agreements spanning areas such as civil service training, social development and artificial intelligence (AI).
The agreements to deepen cooperation between the Republic and UAE came as Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan kicked off a two-day official visit to Singapore on Oct 29.
Following a ceremonial welcome, Sheikh Khaled called on Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and the two leaders reaffirmed the warm friendship and common interests shared by both countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement.
PM Wong said in a Facebook post that he had a good and wide-ranging discussion with Sheikh Khaled that covered topics such as geopolitics, clean energy, tourism and museum programming.
The two leaders also discussed ways to strengthen cooperation through the Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum and welcomed the sharing of knowledge and best practices in areas such as public administration, climate mitigation and clean energy, added MFA.
“Our countries are hubs for our respective regions, and committed to a rules-based international order,” said PM Wong. “We have much to gain by strengthening our links, and learning from each other’s experience.”
The two leaders then witnessed the signing of eight memorandums of understanding (MOUs) across diverse fields, with a focus on training and development.
Among them were agreements by Singapore’s Ministry of Social and Family Development, Public Service Division, Civil Service College, the National Institute of Education and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) with UAE counterparts to exchange expertise and knowledge.
Pacts were also inked on civilian nuclear cooperation, AI talent development, and to strengthen cooperation in arbitration and dispute resolution.
On the sidelines of the visit, an MOU was also signed between Temasek-owned asset manager Seviora Holdings and Mubadala Capital, the asset management arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, to pursue global investment opportunities.
During the official visit – the crown prince’s first to Singapore – Sheikh Khaled will make several stops, including to the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre, a public-private partnership consortium led by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*Star).
Accompanied by a delegation of ministerial-level officials, the crown prince will also visit the Singapore City Gallery, Marina Barrage, Gardens by the Bay and chipmaker GlobalFoundries’ operations here.
PM Wong will host the crown prince to an official lunch on Oct 30.
In his Facebook post, PM Wong said: “Look forward to deepening our relationship, as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year.”