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Antigua and Barbuda
establishes diplomatic relations with Singapore
New
York, 12 December…Antigua
and Barbuda and the Republic of Singapore today establish formal
diplomatic relations through the signing of a Joint Communiqué by
Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Dr. John W.
Ashe, and his Singaporean counterpart, Ambassador Vanu Gopala Menon.
“We
have been cultivating closer political, economic and cultural ties
with the Republic of Singapore in recent years, and the Foreign
Ministers of our two countries agreed in margins of the NAM Summit
in Havana in September to take this logical step forward,” remarked
Ambassador Colin Murdoch, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
“I would like to thank Ambassador Ashe and his staff at our
Permanent Mission in New York for successfully completing this
foreign policy objective, which was highlighted in this year’s
Thorne Speech,” he added.
Ambassador Ashe underscored the close working relationship that he
shares with his Singaporean counterpart, which he says has led to a
number of tangible benefits for Antigua and Barbuda. As one example,
he cited the recent comprehensive training programme in road
transportation, completed by five members of Antigua and Barbuda’s
Ministry of Works and the Transportation Board. The training
programme was undertaken in Singapore, compliments of that country’s
Road Transportation Authority.
Singapore is a
republic
with a
Westminster
system of a
unicameral
parliamentary
government representing different
constituencies
of Singapore. The bulk of the
executive powers rest in the hands of the
Cabinet of
Singapore, which consists of
ministers led by the
Prime Minister.
The office of the
President of
Singapore was, historically, a
ceremonial one as
head of state,
but the
Constitution of
Singapore was amended in 1991 to
create the position of a popularly elected President and also to
grant the President
veto
powers in a few key decisions such as the use of the national
reserves and the appointment of key
judiciary
positions
Singapore, a
multi-religious
country, is the
second most
densely populated independent country in the world.
It consists of 63 islands, including the main island itself. A
significant portion of Singapore is
reclaimed land
and as a consequence of this, its land area has grown from 224.5 square miles
in the 1960s to 269.1 square miles today, and may grow by another
38.6 square miles by 2030
Singapore has a
highly developed
market-based
economy and has been rated as the
most business-friendly economy in the world. It ranks 25th
on the
Human
Development Index, which measures
standards of
living, and second in the
Index of
Economic Freedom. Its
gross domestic
product (GDP), per capita, is equal
to that of the major European countries, and it is the fourth
largest foreign exchange trading centre in the world after
London,
New York City
and
Tokyo |
