Lawrence Wong, sworn in as the fourth Prime Minister of Singapore on May 15, 2024, has announced that he would undertake an “introductory visit” to Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, “before the annual Leaders’ Retreat later this year”.
This would be Wong’s first Malaysia trip as the new prime minister, and the first in “a series of introductory visits to ASEAN capitals”. He posted this on Instagram yesterday, after receiving a courtesy visit from Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad bin Haji Hasan.
Wong wrote on May 28: “Malaysia is our closest neighbour. We have a shared history, as well as common interests.
“This afternoon, I received a call by Malaysian Foreign Minister @mohamadhjhasan. We have met on several occasions in the past. But this is his first visit to Singapore as Foreign Minister, and my first time receiving him in my new capacity as PM.
“We reaffirmed our shared commitment to grow the win-win partnership between our two countries. Malaysia will also be the Chair of ASEAN in 2025, and we look forward to working closely together to advance the agenda for regional cooperation.”
Right after taking oath as Singapore’s top leader, Wong had received a congratulatory phone call from Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim. Referring to that call, he wrote in his Instagram post: “In my phone conversation with PM @anwaribrahim_my two weeks ago, he had invited me to make an introductory visit to Malaysia soon, before the annual Leaders’ Retreat later this year. I am happy to accept his invitation, and will schedule an early visit to KL, as part of a series of introductory visits to ASEAN capitals.”
During his two-day (May 27-28) visit to Singapore, the Malaysian foreign minister met his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan. He also met Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, who is now Senior Minister.
A Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) media release dated May 28 said: “Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Mohamad Hasan is in Singapore on an Official Visit.
“Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong earlier today. During the calls, President Tharman, Prime Minister Wong, and Senior Minister Lee reaffirmed the robust partnership and historic people-to-people ties between Singapore and Malaysia.
“Both sides reiterated their strong commitment to continue the high-level exchanges, and to work together both bilaterally and within ASEAN amidst a more uncertain geopolitical environment.”
The Singapore MFA release said: “Prime Minister Wong also expressed his appreciation of Malaysian Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s invitation for him to make an early introductory visit to Malaysia.
“During the discussions between Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, both Ministers underscored the importance of continuing close cooperation to deliver mutual benefit for our peoples, including by enhancing economic cooperation and connectivity through initiatives like the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link and the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, while addressing bilateral issues constructively.”
