​(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Reuven Rivlin met this afternoon (Wednesday 20 April 2016) at his residence with Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, who was making an official visit to Israel, the first visit of a Prime Minister of Singapore to Israel.

President Rivlin welcomed him and noted the historic importance of the visit. He expressed Israel's appreciation of Singapore's heritage, and said it was his honor to attend the funeral of the Prime Minister's father, Singapore's first President Lee Kuan Yew, in 2015. He noted the good relations between the two countries, which were part of the legacy of the late President Lee Kuan Yew. He said, "The relationship between our two countries are solid and we greatly appreciate this."

The President added, "We know what is now going on in our region, and what is going on Europe. The idea that states living side by side in friendship and cooperation is not something we need to appreciate, is a phenomenon which we all have a responsibility to be aware of, all those who stand up against the real danger of fundamentalism. What is happening in Europe must be of concern to all of us."

The President concluded, "I am very proud of the cooperation between our peoples."

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, thanked the President for his warm words and said, "I am happy and proud to be here." The Prime Minister went on thank thank the President for his attendance at his father's funeral, and said, "I am confident that your attendance at the funeral has influenced the relations between our countries and our people and has also increased the mutual appreciation between us. Our bi-lateral relationship began almost with the establishment of Singapore as an independent state, and has since evolved in many areas - security, education, high-tech, culture, etc. and we hope that we can expand on this as well."