Vivian Balakrishnan calls for greater trade and investment flows in visit to Pakistan

Singapore's Minister for Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan became the country's first leader to visit Pakistan in nearly 22 years as he made a one-day visit to the country on Friday (Oct 30) .

Speaking at a joint press conference with his Pakistan counterpart Ishaq Dar, who is also deputy prime minister, Dr Balakrishnan noted that former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong was the last Singaporean leader to visit in 2004.

"So this is belated, but better late than never," he quipped, adding that leaders from both countries have been in constant communication.

Dr Balakrishnan noted that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has accepted Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's invitation to visit Singapore, injecting fresh impetus to the two countries' shared priorities in economic cooperation, disaster preparedness and response, and people-to-people ties.

Elaborating on an area, which he said both sides are "working furiously to get the homework done", the Singapore minister said that greater trade and investment flows need to be facilitated amid excellent ties.

"In an increasingly uncertain global environment, including on the business side of it, it is even all the more important for our two countries to remain open, connected, and constructively engaged with each other."

This means that both governments will need to facilitate interactions between their small and medium enterprises, including the understanding of opportunities and risk in Southeast Asia and South Asia, while identifying new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation, Dr Balakrishnan explained.

During their meeting, the two leaders also discussed carbon markets, and opportunities to deepen cooperation between institutes of higher learning in their countries, which includes the Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore, with Pakistan’s National University of Sciences and Technology.

Strengthening disaster preparedness and response

The Singapore Civil Defence Force and Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority also exchanged a memorandum of understanding to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.

"Disasters are not something you wish for, but it is something which we have to prepare for and to be acutely aware that at the rate things are going, and with the progression of climate change, this is a current and clear threat, and the more we can work together and prepare together, the more resilient we will be," Dr Balakrishnan said.

He noted that Pakistan has had extensive experience in responding to large-scale natural disasters, including floods and other extreme weather events — areas which Singapore could draw lessons of resilience from.

Under the agreement, the two countries will explore cooperation in early warning systems, sharing of best practices, strengthening search and rescue capabilities, and holding joint training and exercises.

At the joint press conference, Singapore and Pakistan also reaffirmed their commitment to international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Turning to 2027, when Singapore chairs ASEAN , Dr Balakrishnan said that the Republic will look for more opportunities for Pakistan to do more with the 11-member bloc.

"I think the horizon is very broad on that front. So, I will work closely with you in strengthening the ties between Pakistan and ASEAN, and also between the two regional blocs," he said.

新加坡外交部长维文·巴拉克里希南博士于周五（10月30日）对巴基斯坦进行了为期一天的访问，成为近22年来首位访问巴基斯坦的新加坡领导人。

巴拉克里希南博士在与巴基斯坦总理兼副总理伊沙克·达尔举行的联合新闻发布会上表示，前总理吴作栋是最后一位访问巴基斯坦的新加坡领导人，那是在2004年。

“虽然有点晚了，但总比没有好，”他打趣道，并补充说，两国领导人一直保持着密切沟通。

巴拉克里希南博士指出，巴基斯坦总理谢赫巴兹·谢里夫已接受新加坡总理黄循财的邀请访问新加坡，这将为两国在经济合作、灾害防备和应对以及民间交流等共同优先事项注入新的动力。

新加坡部长进一步阐述了他所说的双方正在“努力完成前期准备工作”的领域，并表示需要在良好的关系基础上促进更大的贸易和投资流动。

“在全球环境日益不确定（包括商业环境）的情况下，我们两国保持开放、联系和建设性互动就显得尤为重要。”

巴拉克里希南博士解释说，这意味着两国政府需要促进两国中小企业之间的互动，包括了解东南亚和南亚的机遇和风险，同时寻找互利合作的新机遇。

会晤期间，两国领导人还讨论了碳市场，以及深化两国高等学府（包括新加坡南洋理工大学和新加坡国立大学）与巴基斯坦国立科技大学之间合作的机会。

加强灾害防备和应对

新加坡民防部队和巴基斯坦国家灾害管理局也交换了一份谅解备忘录，以加强灾害防备和应对能力。

巴拉克里希南博士说：“灾难不是我们希望发生的，但我们必须做好准备，并且要清醒地认识到，按照目前的发展速度，随着气候变化的加剧，这是一个迫在眉睫的明显威胁。我们越能团结协作、共同准备，就越能增强我们的韧性。”

他指出，巴基斯坦在应对大规模自然灾害（包括洪水和其他极端天气事件）方面拥有丰富的经验——新加坡可以从中汲取增强韧性的经验。

根据该协议，两国将探索在预警系统、最佳实践分享、加强搜救能力以及举行联合训练和演习方面的合作。

在联合新闻发布会上，新加坡和巴基斯坦还重申了对国际法的承诺，包括《联合国海洋法公约》。

展望 2027 年新加坡担任东盟轮值主席国，巴拉克里希南博士表示，新加坡将寻求更多机会，让巴基斯坦与这个由 11 个成员国组成的集团开展更多合作。

“我认为这方面的前景非常广阔。因此，我将与你们密切合作，加强巴基斯坦与东盟以及这两个区域集团之间的联系，”他说。