Singapore: A friendly country far from Turkiye

By Nazli Yuzbasioglu

ANKARA (AA) – Singapore, an island city-state in Southeast Asia, has an important position in the implementation of Turkiye’s Asia Anew Initiative, the Turkish ambassador to Singapore has said.

"As part of the Asia Anew Initiative, it is one of Turkiye's goals to strengthen cooperation with Asian countries in general, and with Singapore in particular, at regional and multilateral platforms. In this regard, Singapore has a special place in the successful implementation of our Asia Anew Initiative,” Ambassador Mehmet Burcin Gonenli told Anadolu Agency in a written interview.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1969 and the strategic partnership was formed in 2014, he recalled.

Gonenli stressed the importance of the Asia Anew Initiative, announced by Turkiye in 2019, in terms of bilateral and regional relations.

He said Ankara aims to deepen and consolidate its ties with the Asian continent with the initiative.

Southeast Asia constitutes one of the main parts of the initiative, he said, adding Turkiye's priorities and objectives as part of cooperation with Singapore serves the objectives of the initiative.

The historical ties between the two countries date back to 1865 when the Ottoman Empire appointed its first honorary consul in Singapore, then under the British colonial rule.

The first Turkish consul general in Singapore took office on Nov. 7, 1901, while diplomatic relations between Turkiye and Singapore were established on Feb. 12, 1969, after Singapore declared its independence in 1965.

While the Turkish Embassy in Singapore opened on Nov. 1, 1985, Singapore's Embassy in Ankara became operational in 2012 and the first resident Singaporean Ambassador in Ankara took up his duties on July 27, 2015.