MFA Press Statement: Official Visit by Prime Minister of the Netherlands H.E. Dr Jan Peter Balkenende, 22-24 October 2009

As part of his official visit to Singapore, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende of the Netherlands had a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, followed by a courtesy call on President S R Nathan on 22 October 2009. Prime Minister Lee also hosted lunch for Prime Minister Balkenende the same day.

During Prime Minister Balkenende's meeting with Prime Minister Lee, both Prime Ministers affirmed the close bilateral relationship between Singapore and the Netherlands, including the strengthening of defence ties through ongoing cooperation in Oruzgan, Afghanistan in support of the NATO International Security Assistance Force. They also spoke about how both Singapore and the Netherlands, as knowledge economies, could work together and add value to each other. In addition, they discussed the impact of the financial crisis, including the measures each of them was taking to address the economic difficulties and how both governments were helping their citizens to cope with the economic downturn. They also had an exchange of views on regional and international developments, covering a broad range of topics such as climate change, the Doha Development Agenda, and the changing global architecture.

At the courtesy call on President Nathan, both leaders underscored the deep and long-standing relations anchored by strong people-to-people linkages between the two countries. They agreed that both countries should continue to explore more opportunities to collaborate, not just in economic, but also cultural and other areas. During the discussion on how governments could manage a rapidly-changing and diverse society, President Nathan shared Singapore's experience and approach on maintaining racial and religious harmony. They also discussed developments in Afghanistan and exchanged views on integration efforts within both Asia (with particular reference to ASEAN) and Europe.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
22 OCTOBER 2009