His Majesty is greeted upon arrival at the Changi Airport by Lee
Hsien Loong, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore and wife; Rear
Admiral Teo Chee Hean, Minister of Education and Deputy Minister
of Defence of Singapore and wife; the Minister-in-Attendance and
wife; and other senior officials of the Singapore Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
His Majesty in a four-eye meeting with Singapore Premier Goh
Chok Tong. Photos: Information Department
Mr. President and Mrs. Nathan,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
As always, Mr. President, my
wife and I are deeply grateful for the warmth of the welcome we
have received in Singapore.
This has come from your people
in all walks of life throughout the country.
We thank you all very much
indeed.
Mr. President,
I am most honoured to be here.
I am like any of my people
visiting your country.
We come for many purposes.
Whatever they may be, whether
for business or pleasure, one thing is foremost, I think.
This is the chance to meet
long-standing friends and colleagues, share news and enjoy the
company of good neighbours in every sense of the word.
I am no different.
I have the present honour to be
invited here on an official state visit.
But there is much that goes far
beyond the formalities of a state occasion.
For me, it is an enormous
pleasure to see you again Mr President and to have a chance to
meet my firm friend and colleague Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.
And, of course, one of my
family's dearest friends, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew.
This visit also offers me a
most welcome chance to say publicly how much we admire your
people's achievements.
My generation remembers clearly
the years when our two countries were desperately trying to
rebuild our lives and turn our territories into new modern
nations.
When I recall the Singapore of
my boyhood and look at what your people enjoy today, I am full
of admiration.
I congratulate you all most
sincerely.
You, yourself, Mr. President
are in many ways a symbol of what has been achieved.
Through hard personal efforts,
often on your own, you have offered a career dedicated to your
country's service; to its development in government and
business; and to its lasting security and prosperity.
This is the quintessential
Singapore story.
Through your efforts and those
of your fellow leaders, countless numbers of your people now
have the opportunity to follow in your footsteps.
It is more than a personal
story, however.
In all these endeavours, the
people of Singapore and their government have not just
concentrated upon their own country's development.
They have made a tremendous
contribution to the whole of South East Asia.
We particularly thank you for
this in Brunei Darussalam.
Your leaders have offered us
constant goodwill, friendship and cooperation.
On many occasions we have
benefited greatly from their experience and expertise.
Today, from two struggling
countries half a century ago, we have become strong modern
partners, sharing our hopes and trying to help each other
realise them.
We are doing this both
bilaterally and as cooperative partners in a host of regional
and international bodies.
Our formal cooperation extends
now to many areas of trade, defence, health, education,
technology and culture.
At other more personal levels,
we are very close friends indeed.
For us, it is a key
association.
The future, I know, will see it
continuing to grow in strength and scope.
Despite some problems and a
number of uncertainties, we share with our ASEAN partners an
exciting vision of a new dynamic South East Asia.
The region we envisage is one
where the millions of people for whom it is home, will live in
peace and stability.
It is one where each family and
each community will have a chance to develop its own talents.
It is one where they will all
rejoice in each other's cultures, traditions and ways of life.
That situation is, of course,
still what Asean calls it "a vision."
We have given it a date within
this current generation's lifetime.
At our last leader's summit, we
called for immediate action to implement the many programmes and
projects that have been set up.
In this, I appreciate the
urgency Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong has regularly stressed.
I add my own voice to his.
Throughout our region, it is a
time to be strong, positive and optimistic.
We are going through an
extremely demanding period, especially in terms of the region's
security.
As your experience will
confirm, however, Mr. President, such concerns are not new in
South East Asia.
We have dealt with them in the
past and we will continue to do so.
They are a matter for resolute
action, shared expertise, and common determination.
Like Singapore, Brunei
Darussalam has that determination.
No criminal groups whether
trafficking in narcotics, finance, human beings or religious
extremism will be permitted to damage our people's lives nor
cloud their dreams of a happy and prosperous future.
They will not darken the vision
our governments have for our region.
I thank you and your government
and people for the resolute stand you have taken on such
matters.
I look forward to our people
continuing to work together in all aspects of regional and
international cooperation.
Mr. President,
The term our officials use to
describe this process is "Exchange of Visits."
I prefer a more personal one.
It is the one all good
neighbours use when meeting each other.
"Come and see us any
time."
"You are always
welcome."
In the case of our friends and
colleagues from Singapore, Mr. President, I assure you it is a
heartfelt invitation.
My wife and I thank you and
Mrs. Nathan most warmly for your kindness and hospitality.
We wish all Singaporeans the
peace, prosperity and happiness you and your fellow leaders have
worked so hard to achieve.
Thank you.
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