Pakistan, Singapore Reaffirm Resolve To Deepen Ties As Diplomatic Relations Mark 60th Anniversary
Pakistan and Singapore have reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthen bilateral relations across multiple sectors, including trade, investment, digital economy, and climate action, as both nations commemorate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
Marking the occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong exchanged letters of felicitation, alongside messages exchanged between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan.
The messages extended heartiest felicitations on behalf of the people and governments of both nations on the diamond jubilee of diplomatic ties, officially established on August 17, 1966.
In his letter, Prime Minister Shehbaz stated that over the past six decades, the friendship between Pakistan and Singapore had grown steadily, anchored in mutual respect, goodwill, and the spirit of the Commonwealth. Bilateral ties spanned trade and investment, education, culture, and people-to-people exchange.
He reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering commitment to further strengthening the bilateral partnership and expressed a strong desire to expand collaboration bilaterally and through multilateral forums, including ASEAN, the Commonwealth, and the United Nations. He also extended his best wishes for his Singaporean counterpart's health, happiness, and success, as well as for peace, progress, and prosperity of Singapore.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in his message, noted that both countries had enjoyed warm and friendly relations, built on mutual respect and understanding over the past six decades. He mentioned that Pakistan was one of the first countries to recognize Singapore after its independence in 1965 and that collaboration occurred bilaterally and in multilateral fora.
He identified areas for expanding bilateral cooperation, such as trade facilitation, digital economy, people-to-people exchanges, and capacity building. In his message to Singapore's Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, DPM Dar emphasized that this milestone offered an opportunity to inject renewed energy into bilateral ties. He expressed keenness to work closely with Singapore to deepen trade and investment cooperation, particularly in high-growth sectors like the digital economy, climate, fintech, and innovation.
DPM Dar extended a formal invitation to Foreign Minister Balakrishnan to visit Islamabad for continued high-level exchanges, confident that the 60th-anniversary celebrations would usher in a new phase of practical and mutually beneficial cooperation between both nations.