Toast by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the dinner hosted in honour of His Excellency Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg

Your Excellency Jean-Claude Juncker,
Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg

Excellencies,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

1.     I am delighted to welcome Prime Minister Juncker and his distinguished delegation back to Singapore.

2.     Luxembourg and Singapore are similar in many ways. We are both small countries, surrounded by much larger neighbours. We have made the most of our limited resources to earn a living for ourselves. Luxembourg is a landlocked country with only 500,000 people, yet it is an international financial hub, with one of the world’s highest per capita GDPs. Singapore is not doing too badly, but we are still not quite at Luxembourg’s level.

3.     Singapore aspires to be a “City in a Garden”, integrating modern living with greenery and biodiversity. We see nature as integral to our development. Luxembourg is an excellent example of this. You are known as the “Green Heart of Europe”, combining high living standards with the beauty of Mother Nature. We can learn much from you to make ours a more liveable country.

4.     Our similar constraints of space and resources have instilled similar worldviews among our peoples. We are pragmatic and open economies. We support a stable and inclusive international order, anchored by strong regional and multilateral institutions. Singapore is a founding member of ASEAN, while Luxembourg belongs to the Benelux customs union, a precursor to the European Union. Prime Minister Juncker is one of the strongest advocates for closer European integration, and has done much to further this goal, especially in his capacity as President of the Eurogroup.

5.     Small countries must make common cause together to advance our interests. We are both founding members of the Forum of Small States at the UN, which celebrated its 20th Anniversary this year. We welcomed Luxembourg into the Global Governance Group earlier this year, which complements the G20. These informal groupings give smaller countries a bigger voice in multilateral platforms. But the UN remains the key institution that ensures a global order which protects big and small countries alike. I therefore offer my warmest congratulations to Luxembourg on its election to the UNSC for 2013-2014. I am confident you will make a significant contribution to the international community on the UNSC.

6.     In his Fullerton Lecture yesterday, Prime Minister Juncker spoke of the need for Asia and Europe to work together. I completely agree. Prime Minister Juncker and I just attended the Asia-Europe Meeting in Laos with other Asian and European leaders, where we discussed how we could do more together. Singapore greatly appreciates Luxembourg’s unwavering support for ASEM. Prime Minister Juncker has personally attended all nine ASEM Summits, a remarkable and surely unique record.

7.     In this context, I am pleased that relations between Singapore and Luxembourg have grown steadily. Luxembourg is our fifth largest investor from the EU, with more than 200 Luxembourg companies here. Singa¬pore and the EU are currently negotiating an FTA, which will boost trade and investment flows between Singapore, Luxembourg and the EU. I hope Prime Minister Juncker will give the FTA your full support.

8.     Our bilateral cooperation extends to many other areas. We work together to provide technical assistance to developing countries such as Vietnam and Laos. We are collaborating in the arts. Just last week, the Esplanade presented TeZukA, a homage to Japanese manga, which was co-produced by Les Théâtres (pronounced “teh-ah-tre”) de la Ville de Luxembourg. Singapore chefs have also won prizes at the Expogast-Villeroy & Boch Culinary World Cup that Luxembourg hosts every four years. These broad interactions enhance our people-to-people links and mutual interests.

9.     We must build on this strong foundation to strengthen Singapore-Luxembourg ties. I look forward to continue working with Your Excellency to further our longstanding friendship.

Your Excellency,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

May I now invite you all to rise and join me in a toast to:

• The continued good health and success of His Excellency Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker; and

• The enduring friendship between the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Republic of Singapore.