MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Prof S Jayakumar Minister for Foreign Affairs

1. Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious country in Southeast Asia. Our ASEAN partners remain central to our foreign policy. We will strengthen these excellent relations through greater economic co-operation and institutional linkages in ASEAN. Singapore looks forward to the challenges and opportunities of an ASEAN 10 with a community of 500 million people.

2. Relations with our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific, including Australia, China, India, Japan and South Korea, are also cordial. We will strive to strengthen them, and to weave these bilateral relationships into a co-operative framework to benefit both the region and Singapore.

3. The continued presence of the United States, and a China that has open and constructive relations with the rest of the world, will make the whole region more stable and predictable. Peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, and in Southeast Asia in particular, provide conducive conditions to economic growth and prosperity for Singapore and other countries.

4. APEC is an important forum to promote economic development and foster a spirit of community in the Asia-Pacific. Singapore will work with our ASEAN partners to strengthen the ASEAN Regional Forum, and encourage major powers in the region to participate constructively in it.

5. Europe should be fully engaged in the economic dynamism of East Asia. Singapore will help to develop the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) as a forum for economic co-operation, political dialogue, and cultural, scientific and technological exchanges. The Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), located in Singapore, will be an important catalyst for cultural, intellectual and people-to-people exchanges, and help to develop mutual understanding and awareness between Asians and Europeans.

6. Singapore will continue to participate actively in the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the Commonwealth, the Group of 77, the Non-Aligned Movement and other international organisations. We will play our part in tackling global issues which affect mankind as a whole. We will contribute to on-going efforts to reform the UN to adapt it to the challenges of a new world order, and participate in UN peacekeeping operations in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Singapore is bidding for a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council for a two-year term in 2001-2. If elected, we will play a constructive role in global security matters.

7. Singapore will also continue to share its own experience of development with other countries. We have extended the reach of our technical assistance programme by partnering developed countries like Australia, Canada, Germany, Norway, South Korea and the United States, as well as the Commonwealth Secretariat, the United Nations Development Programme, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and other International Organisations. The Singapore Cooperation Programme and our Third Country Training Programmes now sponsor 2,000 trainees from 60 countries each year.

8. We have diplomatic and consular relations with 151 countries. Through our resident and non-resident Ambassadors and Honorary Consuls, MFA strives to provide quality diplomatic services to advance and safeguard Singapore's interests in an increasingly interdependent world; to promote an appreciation of Singapore's policies and social values; to support Singapore's regionalisation efforts; and to provide better consular services to Singaporeans and visitors.