Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his spouse will pay an official visit to Singapore and attend the 32nd ASEAN Summit from April 25-28 at the invitation of Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong, said the Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

This will be the first official visit to Singapore by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the context that the two nations are celebrating the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic ties (August 1) and five years of strategic partnership, Hang said at a regular press briefing in Hanoi on April 19.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc is scheduled to hold talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, meet with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob, deliver a speech at the Singapore Management University, attend the Vietnam-Singapore Business Forum, and visit several economic establishments.

The two sides are expected to discuss directions and measures to strengthen bilateral relations and create new breakthroughs in cooperative ties. They will also exchange views on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Following the official visit to Singapore, PM Phuc will attend the 32nd Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This will be the first ASEAN Summit in 2018 as Singapore takes over the bloc’s rotating chairmanship.

Under the theme of “Resilient and Innovative ASEAN”, regional leaders are scheduled to deliberate directions and measures to step up cooperation, enhance connectivity to boost the ASEAN’s self-resilience and its ability to respond to challenges and promote innovation-based development on the ground of seizing new opportunities brought in by the fourth industrial revolution, thereby helping to build a united, strong and sustainable developing ASEAN Community.

PM Phuc will also have bilateral meetings with leaders of other ASEAN member nations on the sidelines of the summit.-VNA