06 August 2012: Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola this morning met Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr K Shanmugam whilst attending a six-day Singapore-Pacific Ministerial Study Visit to Singapore. The six-day Singapore-Pacific Ministerial Study Visit to Singapore includes Foreign Ministers from ten Pacific Island Countries (PICs). The study visit which is organized and hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Singapore is aimed at providing PICs Foreign Ministers on best practices and achievements of Singapore in the fields of national and economic development, land use planning, water management, healthcare and education systems and human resource and performance management. The program will also include courtesy calls to Prime Minister Lee HsienLoong of Singapore. The Ministerial Study Visit was opened by Minister Shanmugam at a welcome ceremony this morning at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Ministers later paid a joint call on Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, during which they discussed Singapore's relations with the Pacific Islands States and developments in the South Pacific region. Minister Shanmugam will host the Ministers to dinner tonight. Over the next few days, the Ministers and delegates will be briefed by various Ministries and government agencies on Singapore's development experience in areas such as public administration, education, health, transport and water management. This is the first such study visit that Singapore has organized for Ministers from the Pacific Islands States. Fiji established formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of Singapore on 30th November, 1971. Since then Fiji and Singapore have enjoyed warm and friendly diplomatic and bilateral relations. Fiji's Ambassador to Indonesia H.E Ambassador Cavuilati who is based in Jakarta Indonesia is also accredited to Singapore. Singapore has been providing courses and assistance to Fiji Nationals under the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) in areas such as public administration, civil aviation, banking and finance, port management and IT etc. As part of the growing relations between Fiji and Singapore in November 2011 a Memorandum of Understanding on Health between Fiji and SingHealth1,was signed by Fiji's Ambassador to Indonesia and accredited to Singapore, Ratu Tui Cavuilati. The MOU covers courses and work attachments by the Fiji Health officials as well as the supply of medical equipments and medicine. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1SingHealth is Singapore's largest group of healthcare institutions. The group was formed in 2000 and consists of two public hospitals across the island, five specialist centres and a network of nine polyclinics. The group operates Singapore General Hospital and KK Women's and Children's Hospital. The group runs five specialist centres which include National Cancer Centre Singapore, National Heart Centre Singapore, Singapore National Eye Centre, National Dental Centre of Singapore and the National Neuroscience Institute. (Photo caption: Meeting Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law Mr K Shanmugam at Ministry for Foreign Affairs Headquarters, Singapore)

• published: 08 Aug 2012
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