MFA Press Statement: Visit of Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed to Indonesia and Yemen, 1-7 Aug 2010

Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Zainul Abidin Rasheed will visit Indonesia from 1 to 4 August 2010 and Yemen from 4 to 7 August 2010.

Senior Minister of State Zainul will be in Surabaya from 1 to 2 August 2010 and will be joined by Member of Parliament Cynthia Phua. Senior Minister of State Zainul will meet key personalities from East Java and attend the inaugural Singapore National Day reception in Surabaya as Guest-of-Honour.

Senior Minister of State Zainul will then attend the "Special Ministerial Meeting for Millennium Development Goals [1] Review in Asia and the Pacific: Run Up to 2015" in Jakarta from 3 to 4 August 2010. This meeting, organised by Indonesia with the support of UN agencies, will discuss the progress and way forward for Asia and the Pacific in achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It is convened in preparation for the upcoming UN High-Level Plenary Meeting on the Millennium Development Goals, taking place at the sidelines of the 65th Session of the UN General Assembly later this year.

Senior Minister of State Zainul will then visit Sana'a, Republic of Yemen from 4 to 7 August 2010, to attend the Tenth Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) Council of Ministers' Meeting. Established in 1997 with the aim to expand and strengthen economic cooperation among member countries, the IOR-ARC now comprises 18 Indian Ocean littoral and island states [2].

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[1] The Millennium Development Goals are a set of 8 development goals that were endorsed at the 55th Session of the UN General Assembly in 2000. These goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, the achievement of universal primary education, and the reduction of HIV/AIDS and other diseases.

[2] The 18 IOR-ARC member countries are Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, UAE and Yemen.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
31 JULY 2010