FOREIGN Minister K. Shanmugam presented Mr Newton Minow, Singapore's honorary consul-general in Chicago, with the Public Service Star (Distinguished Friends of Singapore) during a special ceremony at the Singapore Embassy in Washington.

The 89-year-old lawyer has been an honorary consul-general in Chicago since 2001. Honorary consuls provide consular assistance to Singaporeans in cities where there is no diplomatic presence.

His award was announced during the 2014 National Day Awards.

Mr Shanmugam said at the ceremony that Mr Minow had also played a critical role in the successful completion of the US-Singapore free trade agreement: "When Singapore and the US were negotiating, he was rallying support from Chicago with the mayor, with the governor of Illinois and major Chicago-based, Illinois-based companies."

Mr Minow said the award was a symbol of the friendship between the two countries.

JEREMY AU YONG