Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan to visit Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and Doha, Qatar, 10 to 14 March 2008

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan will lead a delegation to Abu Dhabi, UAE from 10 to 12 March 2008 to inaugurate the Abu Dhabi Singapore Joint Forum. He will also make a working visit to Doha, Qatar, from 13 to 14 March 2008.MOS Lee will be accompanied by a business delegation.

The Abu Dhabi-Singapore Joint Forum is a bilateral platform to discuss bilateral cooperation in a wide spectrum of areas including public administration, urban infrastructure development and business collaboration.It seeks to further enhance our strong bilateral economic and political linkages, as well as provide strategic direction to cooperation between Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

MOS Lee is also expected to meet with political and business leaders in Abu Dhabi and Qatar to discuss how Singapore can further strengthen our bilateral economic relations with the two states.

Singapore’s trade relations with the Middle East have grown steadily in recent years. The UAE and Qatar are our 19th and 21st largest trading partners respectively. Total trade between Singapore and UAE was S$12.2 billion in 2007, representing a 4 per cent increase over 2006 figures. Total trade between Singapore and Qatar was S$6.7 billion in 2007, representing a 60 per cent increase over 2006 figures.


Ministry of Trade and Industry
10 March 2008