Foreign Ministers of the Melanesian Spearhead Group, who are undergoing a high level study visit in Singapore, have embraced this initiative and thanked the Government and people of Singapore for sharing their history of economic achievements.
Participants include the Republic of Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Vanuatu’s Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Alfred Carlot, Solomon Islands Supervising Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade, Seth Gukuna and Papua New Guinea’s ambassador to Indonesia, Commodore Peter Ilau.
Also included in the high level delegation are staff of the MSG Secretariat - the Political Affairs Division director Barbara Age and Lora Lini representing the office of the MSG Director General.
The high level visit to Singapore organized by the Government of Singapore is from August 6 to 11 and also includes representatives from other Pacific Islands including Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.
Ratu Inoke, who is also the chairman of the MSG Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting (FMM), said the high level visit was a first for the region and he and his colleagues from Melanesia had learnt a lot about Singapore’s achievements and how Singapore developed into one of the most successful economies in the world.
The study tour is an opportunity for ministers to obtain first- hand knowledge of some of the challenges Singapore went through in the early 50s and 60s and what inspired them – a nation with no natural resources to a country with some of the best infrastructure in the world and in 2011 had a GDP of US$260billion and a growth rate of 4.9 per cent.
Ratu Inoke said the MSG members, who together possess almost 90 per cent of the natural resources in the Pacific, could still learn a lot from Singapore.
During the tour, the ministers learned some valuable lessons on leadership, which has transformed Singapore to what it is today.
The commitment and hard work of its people also contributed significantly to the success in Singapore - one of the most economically self sufficient nations in the world.
During the visit MSG Foreign Ministers, their officials and the MSG Secretariat met Singapore Prime Minister Mr Lee Hsien Loong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law, Mr K Shanmugam, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Sam Tan and also visited the Singapore Civil Service College, the Ministry of Health, the Singapore Economic Development Board, and the Marina Barrage.
Later this week, the delegates will also meet with the Singapore Minister for Transport, Lui Tuck Yew and visit the Singapore Port Operations Control Centre, the Ministry for Education, the Marina Bay Sands, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Singapore Aviation Academy and the Singapore Air Traffic Control Centre.
Another key highlight for participants is to participate in Singapore’s National Day Parade to celebrate Singapore’s 47th Independence Anniversary on August 9.
Singapore became independent in 1965.
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