State visit to Luxembourg by the President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and his wife Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam - First day

At the invitation of TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, the President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and his wife Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam pay a state visit to Luxembourg from 27 to 28 March 2025. The presidential couple is accompanied by Minister of Transport and Second Minister of Finance, Chee Hong Tat, and Minister of State at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Minister of State at the Ministry of Social and Family Development, Sun Xueling.

The state visit is an opportunity to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Luxembourg and Singapore, which started on 17 March 1975.

Thursday 27 March

The President of the Republic of Singapore and his wife were officially welcomed by HRH The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess at the forecourt of the Grand Ducal Palace. After the military honours, the playing of the national anthems, the review of the troops and the presentation of the respective authorities and delegations, Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam had a private meeting with the grand-ducal couple at the palace.

The Singaporean president and his wife laid a wreath at the national monument of Luxembourg Solidarity in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, and the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Steve Thull. On leaving the chapel, they greeted the flag bearers, members of the Second World War Remembrance Committee and representatives of patriotic movements and associations.

Back at the Grand Ducal Palace, the Singaporean Head of State successively received in audience the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Claude Wiseler, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel.

The presidential couple and the grand-ducal couple continued their exchanges over a private lunch at the Grand Duchy Palace. Xavier Bettel, for his part, hosted a lunch in honour of the ministers and members of the Singaporean parliament, which also was attended by the Minister of the Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, the Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, and the Minister for Home Affairs, Léon Gloden.

In the early afternoon, the President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam and TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were welcomed to the Town Hall by Mayor Lydie Polfer for an academic session, in the presence of the College of Aldermen and the Municipal Council. The musical accompaniment was provided by children's choir Fortissimo of the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg.

The presidential couple and the grand-ducal couple then proceeded to the Grand-Duc Jean Museum of Modern Art (Mudam Luxembourg), where they were received by the Minister for Culture, Eric Thill, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Museum, Jean-Paul Olinger, and the Director of the Museum, Bettina Steinbrügge. After a presentation on the history and architecture of the Mudam, the delegation visited the temporary exhibition "Monsieur Steichen" by Lisa Oppenheim. This exposition reveals a new and hitherto unknown side of the Luxembourg-born American photographer and curator Edward Steichen, an artist who left his mark on the country's cultural heritage. The tour continued with the retrospective 'Ho Tzu Nyen: Time & the Tiger', the most important exhibition devoted to the work of Ho Tzu Nyen, a Singaporean artist who draws on the history of East and Southeast Asia.

This will be followed by a walk along the "chemin de la Corniche".

A gala dinner in honour of the President of the Republic of Singapore, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and his wife, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, hosted by TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess at the Grand Ducal Palace, in the presence of HRH the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess, will conclude this first day of the state visit.

Press release by the Information and Press Service (SIP)