H.E. Mohamed Abulkheir
Ambassador 
Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Singapore

“The bilateral relations between Egypt and Singapore were established on the 28th of November 1966, almost a year after the independence of Singapore on the 9th of August 1965. Egypt was amongst the first countries to recognize the independence of Singapore, and was the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties; it supported Singapore’s entry to the Non-Aligned Movement, which was a source of further recognition of Singapore’s independence.

Egypt and Singapore’s long-lasting friendship has grown steadily over the years. The two countries share common interests and positions on different global issues; there is strong political coordination and collaboration in international organizations and other fora. The bilateral political consultations mechanism further enhances such a cooperation.

People-to-people ties have grown with thousands of Singaporeans having studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo over the years, Many of them became religious teachers anddistinguished community leaders in Singapore. The cooperation between Al Azhar and Singapore has recently been intensified to face the rising threat of religious extremism and terrorism, with the strong determination of Al Azhar to counter the extremist interpretation of Islam and spread its true teachings.

This is done through the participation of Singaporean Islamic Leaders and scholars in conferences and training courses designed for that purpose. New avenues of cooperation in this field have been agreed upon during the visit of His Eminence the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Dr Ahmed Al-Tayyeb to Singapore in May 2018.

On the other hand, there has been an increased Egyptian participation in the Singapore’s Technical Cooperation Programs, where Egyptian Officials have benefited from the unique Singaporean experience in different fields of the economy and governance, which includes anticorruption, port management, civil aviation, governance, trade and investment.” 

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