Singapore's foreign minister said Monday that the country will construct an embassy in Tel Aviv, more than half a century after the two nations established diplomatic relations.
Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore informed Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of the decision during their meeting in Jerusalem.
Singapore's foreign ministry stated in a statement that the new embassy will "act as a focal point and encourage Singapore enterprises wanting to extend their relationship with prospective Israeli partners."
It did not provide a date for the mission's launch.
"I applaud the Singaporean government's decision to build an embassy in Israel for the first time since relations were established," Lapid said in a statement. "This is another another demonstration of the nations' excellent and unique relations."
Balakrishnan is in Israel as part of a tour of the Middle East that has already taken him to the West Bank and Bahrain.
According to Singapore's foreign ministry, Balakrishnan urged Lapid that their two nations should "intensify partnership in new fields like as agri-food technology, health technology, artificial intelligence, and digitalization as the globe recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic."
Balakrishnan also made use of the occasion to reaffirm Singapore's support for Palestinian statehood. "Singapore hopes that both the Israeli and Palestinian parties would find a way to engage in direct discussions on the basis of a two-state solution," he added, according to his office's summary.
Balakrishnan was planned to pay a visit to the technology investment platform OurCrowd later Monday and meet with other Israeli technology executives.
The development occurred less than a month after IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi visited Singapore to attend the Asian nation's renowned arms show and speak with defense leaders.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz paid a visit to the nation in October. The military censor prohibited publishing news of Gantz's travel — albeit this prohibition was eventually breached by Israeli media — whereas Kohavi's was openly revealed by the IDF.
At the February exhibition, a variety of Israeli military manufacturers displayed their goods, including Rafael, Elbit, Aeronautics, and the Israeli Aerospace Industries.
Israel and Singapore have a long history of military cooperation. The IDF assisted Singapore in developing its armed forces following the country's independence in the mid-1960s.
Due to Singapore's relationship with its neighbors Malaysia and Indonesia, none of which has formal diplomatic relations with Israel, the government prefers to minimize its links to Israel and contacts with Israeli officials. Indeed, Israeli authorities have stated that the decision to restrict Gantz's October trip was made in response to clear Singaporean requests.
Singapore, behind India, is Israel's second largest export destination in Asia. It is thought to include arms.
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