Singapore president to visit Egypt next week

President of Singapore Tony Tan will start a three-day visit to Egypt Monday, Singapore's Ambassador in Cairo S. Premjith said on Thursday.

The visit, the first by a Singaporean president in 20 years and also the first by Tony to the Middle East, comes as the two countries commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties.

After Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi visited Singapore last year, Chairman of the General Authority for Suez Canal Economic Zone Ahmed Darwish visited Singapore to explore cooperation with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.

Singapore's president will meet with Azhar Imam Ahmed el Tayyeb and Head of the Coptic Orthodox Church Pope Tawadros and will visit Azhar University.

The Egyptian-Singaporean Business Council will hold a meeting on the side lines of the visit.

The bilateral agreements that will be signed between the two countries, will focus on technical education, small and medium enterprises, electronic governance, ports, water desalination, energy and technology information.

A Singaporean logistic company will be inaugurated in the city of 10th of Ramadan Sunday, the ambassador noted.

Sisi's visit to Singapore gave impetus to bilateral ties, while the Singaporean president's visit to Egypt shows the desire to push bilateral relations forward in all sectors, he added.

Economic development needs some time and never happens overnight, he said, adding El Sisi is working hard with the international partners to achieve economic development.

He pointed out that the best way to support the Egyptian economy is to boost investment and trade, adding that Suez Canal and tourism revenues are affected by the international trade conditions and the security situation.

He further said that Egypt and Singapore reached an understanding upon nearly all issues on the international arena, saying that Singapore was among the first countries to recommend Egypt's nomination for a seat in the UN Security Council.

Hailing al Azhar as a "Lighthouse" that spreads the moderate Islam in the world, the ambassador lauded Dar al Ifta's role in combating extremism.

He said that 250 students from Singapore are studying in al Azhar as it is the first choice for Singaporean Muslims who want to learn Sharia sciences.

Sisi was the first Egyptian president to pay a visit to Singapore in August 2015 in a move described as "historical", he also signed there a number of agreements in the fields of technical education, port management, water resources management and energy.

Source: MENA