SINGAPORE - President Tony Tan Keng Yam will go on a five-day state visit to Mexico, starting Wednesday (June 8), to commemorate 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The state visit is a first by a Singapore President to a Latin American nation and Dr Tan will receive a ceremonial welcome at the National Palace in Mexico City.

He will meet Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, who had visited Singapore in 2013 during the first year of his administration. The Mexican President will host him to a state lunch, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement on Monday.

Dr Tan will also receive the key to Mexico City from Dr Miguel Angel Mancera, the city's head of government.

Organised in conjunction with Dr Tan's state visit is a business mission from Singapore, made up of representative from companies in the tourism infrastructure, oil and gas, and pharmaceuticals sectors.

The mission is organised by trade agency International Enterprise (IE) Singapore and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF).

Dr Tan will attend a business luncheon jointly organised by the SBF and the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment, and Technology.

Mexico is Singapore's second-largest trading partner in Latin America, after Panama. Trade between the two countries stood at $4.59 billion last year.

Singapore's business interest in Mexico lies mainly in oil and gas, manufacturing, and urban infrastructure planning and management.

Dr Tan will be accompanied by his wife Mary, as well as Trade and Industry (Trade) Minister Lim Hng Kiang, Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman, and MPs Tin Pei Ling and Darryl David.

Senior officials from the MFA, Ministry of Trade and Industry, IE Singapore, and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore will also be on the trip.

Dr Maliki is scheduled to attend the launch of the inaugural Singapore Film Festival in Mexico City on June 8.

The five-day festival, organised by the MFA, Media Development Authority and Mexico's Cineteca Nacional, will open with the screening of 7 Letters, an anthology by seven Singaporean film-makers celebrating Singapore's golden jubilee last year.

Other movies that will be screened include Anthony Chen's Ilo Ilo, Eric Khoo's 12 Storeys and Royston Tan's 881.