SINGAPORE, Aug 9 — Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has arrived here to attend the Singapore Bicentennial National Day Parade today.
Dr Mahathir and his wife, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, arrived in a special aircraft at the Changi Airport at 5.05pm and were received at the VIP complex by Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
Dr Mahathir was also accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and senior officials from the Prime Minister’s Office as well as Wisma Putra, the Foreign Ministry.
The Malaysian prime minister was invited by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to attend the Bicentennial National Day Parade which will begin at 6.15 pm at the Padang here.
The ceremony will also be attended by the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and Indonesian President Joko Widodo who concluded a two-day visit to Malaysia hours ago.
WATCH: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah receive a warm welcome from the crowd at #NDP2019 https://t.co/3iF2USbMTy pic.twitter.com/1yAuNfGDrV
— CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) August 9, 2019
In a statement issued yesterday, Wisma Putra said the visit of Dr Mahathir symbolised the close relations between the two countries.
Malaysia and Singapore enjoy 54 years of diplomatic ties and have maintained good relations as closest neighbours as well as partners in Asean, it said.
The Bicentennial National Day Parade 2019 is a historic event to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles’ arrival in Singapore. Sir Stamford was the founder of modern Singapore.
Dr Mahathir and Dr Siti Hasmah are expected to return to Malaysia at 8.30pm. — Bernama
