MFA/SIF Joint Press Release: Saudi Arabian Prince in Singapore for Three-Day Visit

Singapore, 25 October 2007...His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al Faisal, Chairman of Saudi Arabia's King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, will visit Singapore from 28 to 30 October 2007 under the Middle East Eminent Persons Programme (MEEPP). The visit is jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Singapore International Foundation (SIF).

During his three-day visit, Prince Turki will give a lecture on 'Evolution of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia', organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies at the Nanyang Technological University. He will also call on Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and attend a lunch hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, George Yeo.

Educated in the United States of America, Prince Turki was appointed an Advisor in the Royal Court in 1973. From 1977 to 2001, he served as the Director of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID). He was also the Kingdom's Ambassador to the United Kingdom and Ireland (2002 - 2005) and the United States (2005 -2006). Prince Turki is one of the founders of 'King Faisal Foundation', a philanthropic organisation that aims to pursue the life-long objectives of the late King Faisal ibn Abdulaziz - serving Islam and Islamic Civilisation, preserving Islamic culture, promoting learning through the Islamic world, and contributing to alleviating human suffering through philanthropic activities worldwide.

Beginning early this year, the MEEPP has been bringing distinguished personalities from the Middle East to Singapore to promote mutual understanding and cooperation, through the exchange of views with senior Singaporean leaders and government officials. Prince Turki is the seventh visitor under this programme. Previous MEEPP visitors that MFA and SIF have hosted include Egyptian Minister of Administrative Development, HE Dr. Ahmed Darwish; Mayor of Jeddah, HE Adel Bin Mohammad Fakeih; UAE Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, HE Dr. Anwar Gargash; Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) and Qatari Minister of State, HE Abdulrahman Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah; Qatari Attorney-General, HE Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, as well as the Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Policy Planning, HE Labeed Majeed Abbawi.
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About Singapore International Foundation

The Singapore International Foundation (SIF) is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks to nurture active global citizens and friends for Singapore.
Our volunteers strive to facilitate the development of overseas communities through capacity-building programmes in areas as diverse as healthcare and health education, organisational and personal capacity development, empowerment of disadvantaged children, women and families, and rehabilitation of the disabled.

SIF seeks to reach out to new audiences and friends of Singapore through a public and cultural diplomacy programme which includes organising concerts abroad and hosting visits to Singapore by foreign thought leaders and influential personalities in the fields of academia, business, civil society, government and the media.

Through our Overseas Singaporeans Programme, SIF seeks to strengthen their connections to home and build a strong and wide network of Singaporean diaspora around the world.

For its work, SIF was presented the Excellence for Singapore Award. Our Patron is His Excellency S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore.

Visit www.sif.org.sg for more information on our programmes.