SINGAPORE - Singapore has opened a new representative office in Ramallah to better coordinate capacity-building efforts and strengthen ties between the Republic and the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs Maliki Osman, who is on a working visit to the Palestinian territories, inaugurated the Singapore Representative Office in Ramallah on Tuesday.
The opening of the office is a key milestone in Singapore’s relations with the PA, said Dr Maliki at a ceremony.
“It is a testament to our commitment to doing more for the Palestinian Authority. It is my hope that the opening of the Office would lead to stronger links between Singapore and the Palestinians,” he said.
“We hope that our efforts can benefit the Palestinian people as they work towards the goal of an independent state, with Palestine and Israel living side by side in peace and security.”
The ceremony was attended by Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad Al-Malki and chairman of the General Personnel Council Musa Abu Zaid. Also present were Singapore’s Non-resident Representative to the PA Hawazi Daipi, and the office’s honorary director Shireen Shelleh.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan had conveyed Singapore’s intention to set up a representative office in Ramallah during his visit there in March 2022, to facilitate closer coordination on the implementation of a $10 million Enhanced Technical Assistance Package (ETAP) for the Palestinians.
The ETAP, which was put together in 2013, gives Palestinian officials preferential placement in capacity-building programmes offered under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP), and also customised study visits, among others.
Dr Maliki stressed that Singapore is committed to supporting the PA’s capacity-building efforts.
He highlighted how since the ETAP’s inception, more than 600 Palestinian officials have benefitted from it by participating in courses on public administration, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), and economic development.
In August 2022, Singapore hosted a study visit for a Palestinian delegation from the TVET Commission and Nablus University for Vocational and Technical Education, and Dr Maliki said Singapore welcomed more such visits. He also noted that when the Covid-19 pandemic halted international travel, PA officials continued to attend SCP courses online, with 120 participants in 2020 and 2021. This year, 26 PA officials have attended 13 online courses, and in November, the Civil Service College will be customising a five-day programme in Singapore on pandemic management for healthcare policymakers.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday that Dr Maliki also called on the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister, Dr Mohammad Shtayyeh, and met Dr Al-Malki.
Dr Maliki reiterated Singapore’s longstanding and principled support for a negotiated two-state solution with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security, said MFA.
He also reaffirmed Singapore’s continued support for the PA’s capacity-building efforts through the SCP, including the ETAP.
Dr Maliki also visited the Ramallah Friends School and was scheduled to attend a dinner with Palestinian SCP alumni, including PA officials who had pursued post-graduate degrees in Singapore with ETAP scholarships.
He is on an eight-day working visit to the Palestinian territories, Israel and Jordan until Oct 24.
