Channel News Asia – Türkiye and Singapore carried their relationship to the strategic partners level on October 14, upon signature of the Joint Declaration on a Strategic Partnership.
The agreement was signed between the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong and his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu at the Prime Minister's Office in the capital city Ankara. Mr. Lee arrived in Ankara on October 13, following his visit to Istanbul. This is Mr. Lee’s first official visit to Türkiye.
The strategic partnership agreement will pave the way for deeper cooperation on several fronts. They include political exchanges, defense, trade and investment, aviation, culture, science, counter-terrorism as well as research cooperation, amongst others.
Under the agreement, the two countries are committed to sustaining the momentum of high level visits. Regarding the economic cooperation, the two sides agreed to work towards an early conclusion of the Türkiye-Singapore Free Trade Agreement to further grow trade and investment bonds.
The two countries will also enhance existing areas of partnership and identify new areas of cooperation. These include promoting Türkiye and Singapore as complementary gateways into Europe and Asia to spur trade and investment flows, and encouraging greater cooperation in the fields of tourism and healthcare.