SINGAPORE: President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong have written to South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to congratulate him on his re-election, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday (Jun 25).
In his letter to Mr Ramaphosa dated Jun 19, Mr Tharman extended his warmest congratulations on behalf of the people of Singapore, noting that both countries “enjoy a longstanding friendship”.
Singapore and South Africa celebrated the 30th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations in 2023 with an exchange of high-level visits by then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy President Paul Mashatile, Mr Tharman said.
“I fondly recall our meeting in Singapore in 2016 when you visited as deputy president, and our meeting and the lunch you hosted for me at the Oliver Tambo House in Pretoria when I visited South Africa in 2017, then as Deputy Prime Minister.”
“I hope to meet you again soon and look forward to our working together to continue to enhance relations between our two countries,” he wrote.
In his congratulatory letter on Jun 19, Mr Wong also noted that Singapore and South Africa enjoy a “broad-based bilateral partnership”.
“Besides a regular exchange of high-level visits, we have good cooperation in trade and investment, air connectivity, information and communications technology, and skills development.”
“Singapore is one of South Africa’s largest trading partners in Southeast Asia, while South Africa is Singapore’s second-largest trading partner in Sub-Saharan Africa,” he added.
Mr Wong also said both countries have “cooperated well” at multilateral forums.
Singapore welcomed South Africa’s admission as an ASEAN Sectoral Dialogue Partner in 2023, and will continue to support South Africa when it assumes the G20 Presidency in 2025, he said.
“I look forward to meeting you and working together to further enhance bilateral ties,” he added.
Ramaphosa was inaugurated as president on Jun 19.
His second term will see his African National Congress share power with other parties after it lost its majority in parliament.
Ramaphosa will head what he calls a government of national unity with five other parties, including the ANC’s largest rival and critic, the pro-business Democratic Alliance.
