(Communicated by the Office of the President)
President Reuven Rivlin, this afternoon, Friday, paid his respects at the lying in state of the late Lee Kuan Yew, founding father and the first Prime Minister of Singapore. The President arrived yesterday evening in Singapore in order to attend the state funeral of Lee Kuan Yew on Sunday. This is the first visit of an Israeli President to Singapore since that of President Herzog in 1987.
The President wrote in the official book of condolence, "'A good name is better than a good perfume' (Ecc. 7:1), for a good name will last forever. In memory of a leader whose deeds and legacy will be remembered always. A dear friend of Israel and the Jewish people."
Earlier, President Rivlin toured the border crossing between Singapore and Malaysia, which employs cutting edge technology in its daily operations. Around 300,000 visitors and tens of thousands of vehicles pass through the crossing daily. During his tour, the regional commanders showed the President a presentation on the daily activities aimed at promoting trade and security cooperation.
The President said, "The realization of miracles requires true tenacity. We as a people have experienced this very need in the realization of a vision, the establishment of the State of Israel, and we see you, the people of Singapore, as real partners in the realization of a vision, a miracle that became reality." The President added, "It is a great privilege for me to participate in the funeral of Lee Kuan Yew, and during my visit, I intend to do all in my power to strengthen ties, and to express our deep appreciation for all that you do, and continue to do for the State of Israel."
President Rivlin joins world leaders at the funeral and meets with a number of officials including PM Modi of India
President Reuven Rivlin today (Sunday 29 March 2015) joined a number of world leaders in participating in the funeral of the founding father and first prime minister of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew. During his visit, the first visit of an Israeli head of state since that of President Herzog in 1986*, President Rivlin held a number of meetings with world leaders who were also present to pay their respects at the funeral.
Among others, President Rivlin met with; senior officials of the Singapore government; Governor-General of Canada, David Johnston; Governor-General of New Zealand, Jerry Mateparae; and Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.
In his meeting with the Indian Prime Minister, the two leaders spoke about the strong ties between India and Israel, and recent developments in the Middle East.
“I follow closely, and with great interest, the processes occurring under your leadership India,” said President Rivlin. “The excellent relations between our countries are based upon strong foundations, two states which share common values, and are first and foremost, thriving democracies.”
At the end of their meeting, they discussed the planned visits to Israel and India in order to strengthened bilateral relations and deepen cooperation in the fields including agriculture, science, and energy.