The prime ministers of Singapore and Australia Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to further strengthen defense cooperation between the two countries.
"The MOU on Defense Cooperation which we have just signed underscores our strong and multi-faceted defense ties," said Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at a lunch in honor of Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who is in Singapore for a one-day visit.
Singapore and Australia have been partners in the Five Power Defense Arrangements since 1971, and Singapore's Armed Forces trains regularly in facilities like the Shoalwater Bay Training Area and the Oakey Aviation Center in Queensland, as well as RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia.
This year, the Singapore Armed Forces will be deploying a medical team to support the Australian Defense Forces in Oruzgan province in Afghanistan.
Lee also said the bilateral trade has flourished, particularly since the implementation of the Singapore-Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2003.
Last year, Singapore was Australia's fifth largest trading partner.
On the political front, Lee said that Singapore and Australia cooperate closely in regional forums such as the ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asia Nations) Regional Forum, East Asia Summit, and APEC.
Lee said he looks forward to Australia's appointment of its ambassador to ASEAN, and to the speedy conclusion of the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement which will strengthen Australia's economic linkages with Southeast Asia.
During his first official visit to Singapore as prime minister, Rudd laid a wreath at the Kranji War Memorial and also opened the newly expanded campus of the Australian International School in the morning.
Rudd is expected to meet with Singapore's Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. In addition, Rudd will deliver the 29th Singapore Lecture entitled "Australia, Singapore, Our Region and the World" in the afternoon.
Source:Xinhua
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