SINGAPORE - Malaysia’s King, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, wrapped up his state visit to Singapore on Thursday evening after visiting the Newater plant and Pasir Ris Camp.
Sultan Abdullah was hosted by Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen at the camp, where he was briefed on the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) Commandos and Special Operations Task Force. He also observed a display of counter-terrorism capabilities and visited the Airborne-Trooper Training Facility.
Dr Ng said the SAF was honoured to host Sultan Abdullah, and that the visit “ended on a high note, literally, on board the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s CH-47F Chinook helicopter, with a tour of Singapore and the Johor southern coastline”.
The King was accompanied by Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry secretary-general Amran Mohamed Zin, Transport Ministry secretary-general Isham Ishak, Malaysia’s High Commissioner to Singapore Azfar Mohamad Mustafar and other senior Malaysian officials, said Singapore’s Ministry of Defence.
Also present during the visit were Singapore’s Chief of Army David Neo and head of air operations Chan Ching Hao.
Earlier in the day, the King visited the Newater Visitor Centre in Changi, where he was welcomed by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu.
Ms Fu said in her speech that Singapore and Malaysia are close neighbours with a shared history and close cooperation in many fields, including on water. Officers of both countries’ waterworks and water agencies have worked closely with one another for many years, she added.
“Their strong personal friendships have enabled us to weather common challenges together,” she said, citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
This strong bilateral relationship will help both sides deal with the challenges brought about by climate change, like extreme weather events that include sudden intense rainfall and prolonged dry spells.
“Water security, or insecurity, is a common challenge that affects both of us,” she said. “We look forward to working closely with our Malaysian counterparts to achieve water security and adaption to climate change, such as coastal and flood protection.”
The King’s three-day state visit caps a series of high-level exchanges that followed Singapore and Malaysia’s reopening of borders to each other, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Thursday.
They include Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s official visit to Singapore in November 2021 in conjunction with the launch of the air and land vaccinated travel lanes, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s visit to Johor in May, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong’s visit to Kuala Lumpur in September.
The King’s visit saw both sides reaffirm the excellent state of bilateral ties, which are rooted in wide-ranging cooperation in areas such as infrastructure and education, as well as extensive people-to-people ties, said MFA.
Both sides also discussed ways to further cooperation, including in emerging sectors like digitalisation and climate change, it added.
On Wednesday, PM Lee and Mrs Lee had called on the King and hosted him to lunch, and in the evening President Halimah Yacob hosted a state banquet at the Istana in his honour.
Sultan Abdullah was accompanied on the visit by his wife, Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, as well as members of the royal family and senior officials.
