PM Lee on week-long visit to the Middle East

SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will pay a week-long visit to the Middle East from Saturday (April 16). This will be his first official visit to Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement on Friday.

“The visit will affirm Singapore’s good relations with Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, and underscore Singapore’s commitment to support the capacity building efforts of the Palestinian people,” the statement added.

PM Lee will be in Jordan from Saturday to Monday. He will be hosted to lunch by King Abdullah II. Mr Lee will also meet Prime Minister and Defence Minister Abdullah Ensour, who will host dinner for him. 

Mr Lee’s other appointments in Jordan include separate meetings with Chief Advisor for Religious and Cultural Affairs Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad Bin Talal, as well as Singapore students studying in the country.

After Jordan, Mr Lee will visit Israel from Apr 18 to 22 where he is scheduled to call on President Reuven Rivlin and meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the opposition Isaac Herzog and former President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.

In addition, Mr Lee will meet leaders of major Israeli technology companies and visit the Hebrew University, where he will receive an honorary degree. He will also witness the signing of an agreement between the university and the National Research Foundation to facilitate research collaboration in Singapore.

On Apr 20, PM Lee will visit the Palestinian Territories, where he will meet with and be hosted to lunch by Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority Rami Hamdallah. Mr Lee will also lay a wreath at the mausoleum of the first President of the Palestinian National Authority Yasser Arafat.

Accompanying Mr Lee on the trip are his wife Madam Ho Ching, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State (Communications and Information, Education) Janil Puthucheary, and Members of Parliament Liang Eng Hwa and Intan Azura Mokhtar.

Mr Lee’s last visit to the Middle East was in 2008, when he visited Qatar.

During the Prime Minister’s absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean will be the Acting Prime Minister, added the PMO's statement.