MINDEF Singapore Press Release: President Tony Tan Commemorates 15 Years of the Shangri-La Dialogue

1.         President Tony Tan Keng Yam hosted a dinner at the Istana this evening to commemorate the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue (SLD). Speaking to an audience of ministers and senior officials attending the SLD, President Tan spoke about the SLD’s growth over the past 15 years and underscored its importance as a platform for participating countries to exchange views on regional security issues and defence cooperation. 

2.         President Tan, who had been Singapore’s Minister for Defence during the SLD’s inception in 2002, said that Singapore had wanted to contribute to the then-less established regional security architecture by creating a platform where defence leaders from the Asia-Pacific region could meet to have frank discussions and gain better understanding of one another’s perspectives. He said, “Many of us in the defence sector therefore felt that the Asia-Pacific region needed a platform where defence leaders could meet to share viewpoints and gain a better understanding of one another’s perspectives. There was also a need for platforms to promote greater cooperation to deal with growing transnational threats, including terrorism.”

3.         In his speech, President Tan noted that “the first SLD was prescient in focusing our attention on many of the security issues that all countries continue to grapple with.” He recalled that the transnational threat of religious extremism and terrorism was a growing concern at the first SLD, and remained a security concern for many countries 15 years on. He also thanked the many countries that had contributed to the success of the SLD over the years, and acknowledged that “the SLD has grown and established itself as the premier defence and security forum in the Asia-Pacific region” because of the active participation of many countries from around the world.

4.         President Tan concluded his speech with the hope that the SLD would continue to grow and play a vital role in the regional security architecture by bringing countries together for the common goal of maintaining peace and stability in the region.

5.         Earlier in the day, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen met with Turkish Minister of National Defence Fikri Işık. During their meeting, Dr Ng and Minister Işık reaffirmed the warm and friendly ties between Singapore and Turkey. Both Ministers also exchanged views on security developments in the Middle East and agreed on the importance of greater cooperation to address the threat of terrorism.

6.         Dr Ng held meetings with ministers and senior officials from Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, Italy, and the United Kingdom on the sidelines of the SLD. Prior to his bilateral meetings, Dr Ng also hosted the Defence Ministers of the Five Power Defence Arrangements to breakfast.

 
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You can view the above article at http://www.gov.sg/resources/sgpc/media_releases/mindef/press_release/P-20160604-3?authkey=41013129-6cf4-4504-9b4f-47c595df1a34