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

Friday 28 March

The second day of the state visit began with a financial round table attended by the President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, HRH the Grand Duke, the Minister of Finance, Gilles Roth, and Singaporean ministers. This roundtable, organised by the Ministry of Finance, brought together experts in finance, fintech and sustainable finance.

The presidential couple and the grand-ducal couple traveled to the Château de Betzdorf, headquarters of SES, where they were welcomed by the Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Media and Connectivity, Elisabeth Margue, the Vice-President of the Board of Directors, Anne-Catherine Ries, and the CEO of SES, Adel Al-Saleh. After a brief presentation of the company's activities and the main projects of interest to Singapore, the dignitaries visited the Satellite Operations Centre and talk to the team that monitors and manages SES satellites.

On the sidelines of the state visit, SES and SpeQtral signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen secure quantum communications capabilities and promote interoperability between different networks.

Prime Minister Luc Frieden had then the honour of welcoming the Head of State of the Republic of Singapore for a private meeting at Senningen Castle. They had the opportunity to continue their exchange over the official lunch offered by the Prime Minister on behalf of the Luxembourg government to the Singaporean President, which was also attended by Ministers Gilles Roth and Elisabeth Margue.

In the early afternoon, the programme continued with a visit to the National Fire and Rescue Centre (CNIS). A comparison with Singapore is relevant, as the emergency services of the two countries have many similarities. Indeed, the Republic of Singapore, like the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), has a unified structure bringing together all the country's emergency services. The Singaporean presidential couple and TRH the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were welcomed at the CNIS by the Minister for Home Affairs, Léon Gloden, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CGDIS, Alain Becker, the Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the CGDIS, Lydie Polfer, the Director General of the CGDIS, Paul Schroeder, and the Commissioner of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Eric Yap.

The meeting also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding intended to strengthen the exchange of best practices and cooperation in the field of civil protection. The presidential couple and the grand-ducal couple  then attended several practical demonstrations, in particular by two specialised rescue teams, and the presentation of the CGDIS's first electric ambulance.

The state visit of the President of the Republic of Singapore, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and his wife, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, officially ended with the traditional farewell ceremony in front of the Grand Ducal Palace, where the presidential couple and HRH the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess bid farewell to the Luxembourg authorities and delegations.

Press release by the Information and Press Service (SIP)