Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, thanked incoming German chancellor Olaf Scholz for his efforts to strengthen ties between the two nations on Tuesday ( May 6 ) and congratulated Mr. Merz on his victory in the election.  ,
After unavoidably failing to secure a majority in the first round of voting, Mr. Merz was elected president by congress on Tuesday.  ,
Mr. Wong expressed his “warmest congratulations” to Mr. Merz in a text to the approaching governor, noting that the two nations shared a “deep and lasting friendship, supported by common trust, and varied assistance.”
This time, Singapore and Germany honor their 60th political partnership. Last November, the two nations furthermore strengthened their bilateral ties to form a proper partnership.  ,
According to Mr. Wong,” This association strengthens existing economic and security assistance while giving us new vigor to work together in new fields like digitalization/AI, research, startups and innovation, fresh energy and sustainable advancement.”
Singapore and Germany “also have a shared commitment to upholding global rules, open industry, and a rules-based world order. We work closely with bilateral fora in this regard,” he continued.  ,
The prime minister also expressed his satisfaction with Germany’s growing involvement in the Asia-Pacific area.
He noted that there are more than 2,300 European businesses in Singapore, with many of them utilizing Singapore as their gate to ASEAN and the wider area.
According to Mr. Wong,” I look forward to continuing to strengthen our ties, including by utilizing the EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Singapore Digital Trade Agreement.”  ,
He continued,” Without further enlarging, strengthening, and deepening relationships between our two places,” adding that he hoped to work with Mr. Merz.
He continued,” I even wish you all the best as you take on the chancellor and look forward to meeting you immediately.”  ,