"Many, including even some Singaporeans, may not be aware that Singapore and Saudi Arabia have strong and meaningful cooperation on many fronts," said Madam Halimah.
She said that the two countries work closely together to ensure the security and comfort of Muslim Singaporeans during their haj and umrah pilgrimages. The countries also cooperate strongly in the area of education, she added, with more than 20 Singaporean researchers and scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, and 60 Singaporeans studying across Saudi universities.
Madam Halimah arrived in Jeddah yesterday morning and was greeted at the airport by the deputy governor of Mecca, Prince Badr Bin Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. She then met a business delegation organised by the Singapore Business Federation and Enterprise Singapore at the Park Hyatt Jeddah hotel. President Halimah left for Mecca yesterday evening, where she will visit historical, cultural and religious sites. She will leave for Singapore this evening.