Singapore will enjoy stronger ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) under a new agreement signed yesterday.

The Joint Declaration on a Singapore-UAE Comprehensive Partnership "represents a shared desire on both sides to elevate ties and deepen bilateral cooperation in mutually beneficial areas", said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement.

These areas include trade and investment, defence and security, and sustainable development.

Witnessing the signing at Parliament House were Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In a tweet, Sheikh Mohamed - who is also the Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces - said: "Our meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is a testament to the strength of our ties.

"Singapore's development model is a pioneering experience, and we seek to learn from it."

Sheikh Mohamed is on an official visit to Singapore, his first since 2009, at the invitation of President Halimah Yacob.

Singapore and the UAE established diplomatic relations in 1985.

The UAE is Singapore's 16th-largest trading partner globally as well as its largest trading partner in the Middle East, with bilateral trade at $18.1 billion.

It is also the Republic's largest investment destination in the Middle East. As of 2017, Singapore's stock investments in the UAE stood at $3 billion, while UAE investments in Singapore were worth $3.6 billion.

Accompanied by a 15-member delegation of ministers and senior officials, Sheikh Mohamed arrived in Singapore on Wednesday evening from South Korea.

Yesterday morning, the Crown Prince received a ceremonial welcome at the Istana and paid a courtesy call on President Halimah, who hosted him to an official lunch.

MFA said the two leaders "affirmed the longstanding and broad-based partnership between the two countries" and discussed developments in Asia and the Middle East, as well as ways to promote religious tolerance and inter-faith harmony.

The Crown Prince also visited semiconductor firm Global Foundries, which is owned by Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Investment Company. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the UAE's seven emirates.

Three other agreements were signed during the Crown Prince's visit here.

The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and the UAE's Ministry of Climate Change and Environment - which signed an agreement on environmental protection and climate change in 2017 - agreed to further cooperate in sustainable consumption and production.

Singapore Garden City - a subsidiary of the National Parks Board - signed an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities, which will see the two collaborate in areas such as greenery and conservation research.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company - together with its subsidiary Borouge - signed an agreement with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for an endowment to NTU's Centre of Excellence International Trading.

"Singapore and the UAE enjoy good collaboration in a variety of fields, from trade and investment to education and sustainable development," said President Halimah in a Facebook post.

She added that she was confident that the new comprehensive partnership will "take our bilateral ties to greater heights and pave the way for cooperation in new areas".