Glad to catch up with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul today, while in transit from Kazan back home to Singapore. We last met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg last November.

Türkiye remains an important partner for Singapore, and our friendly relations run deep. While our formal diplomatic ties were established in 1969, our historical links trace all the way back to 1865, when the Ottoman Empire first established a Consulate in Singapore.

Since upgrading our relations to a Strategic Partnership in 2014, our cooperation has expanded across trade, investment, and connectivity. Today, President Erdoğan and I had a fruitful exchange on how to further deepen these ties, creating even more opportunities for our businesses and people. We also discussed the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, reaffirming our shared commitment to a rules-based international order.

President Erdoğan fondly recalled his last visit to Singapore in 2014 and the orchid named in his honor. I look forward to welcoming him back to our shores soon, and to strengthening the Singapore-Türkiye partnership in the years ahead.

(📸: MDDI Photo by Kendrick Wong)