By: O. Safitrie*)
Singapore Minister of Defence Ng Eng Hen met with his counterparts from Italy, France, Germany and the UK during 51st Munich Security Conference in Munich sunday (8/2)
The four bilateral meetings emphasised the importance of bilateral cooperation and reaffirmed the commitments to increase the cooperation.
The meeting with French Minister of Defence and Veterans Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed security and political developments of interest to Singapore and France. Both also reaffirmed their commitment to increase bilateral defence cooperation, underpinned by the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Advanced Jet Training in France.
In the meeting with Germany counterpart, Dr von der Leyen, Singapore appreciates Germany’s support for the Singapore Armed Forces’ armour training in Germany.
So was with Italian Defence Minister Ms Pinotti. Both shared their views on security developments and bilateral defence cooperation between Singapore and Italy, noting the warm and growing defence relations between the two nations.
Besides sharing views on security issues of mutual interest, in the meeting with British Defence Secretary, Mr Michael Fallon, the two countries affirmed the importance of the Five Power Defence Arrangements in contributing to strong bilateral relations,
The Five Power Defence Agreement (FPDA), which groups Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand and Britain, was set up in 1971 to reassure Singapore and Malaysia following the withdrawal of British forces East of the Suez. The initial underlying rationale for the arrangements was that the defence of Singapore and Malaysia remained indivisible and that they still faced common threats. For Singapore, in particular, FPDA provides an assurance that the country’s security is not only of concern to Singapore and Malaysia, but also of concern to a wider community. For Britain, Australia and New Zealand, it provides an opportunity to show that they are still strongly committed to this part of the world.
*)The Author Is Singapore Contributor