SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says Singapore's relationship with Malaysia is "quite unlike any other" and is happy to continue working closely to advance bilateral ties.
Lee noted that the two countries were bound by geography and a shared history.
"Our people have deep family ties," he said at an official lunch in honour of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is on a one-day official trip here today.
Lee said over the years, the two governments had deepened cooperation in almost every domain. This included health, education, culture, supply chain resilience and connectivity.
Malaysia and Singapore are each other's second largest trading partners.
Lee said Singapore was the largest foreign investor in Malaysia, with over S$56 billion in direct investments.
"This reflects our confidence in the Malaysian economy, including the 'can-do' spirit and enterprise of many young and digitally-savvy Malaysians."
Lee also said Anwar was no stranger to Singapore.
"Prime Minister Anwar has worked with many of us for the better part of three decades.
"It is my great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Anwar on his first official visit to Singapore since taking office as Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister."
Lee said he and Anwar first met when they were ministers, and had stayed in touch ever since.
He last met Anwar when the latter visited Singapore in 2018.
"He came for the Singapore Summit, where his speech was warmly received. He told the summit that if and when he assumed the premiership, Singapore would be one of the first countries he visited.
"Therefore we are glad that today, Ho Ching and I can welcome Prime Minister Anwar and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to Singapore," Lee said.
Anwar acknowledged that the two countries shared a special bond due to their historical, cultural, and people-to-people linkages.
"While we have achieved much together in the last decades, I do believe that there remains a huge potential to elevate our relations to greater heights for the benefit of our peoples."
Anwar hoped that 2023 would enhance the bilateral relations and bring to the two countries even closer together.
Elaborating on the Singapore-Malaysia partnership, Lee said it had stood up to the test during the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Even as supply chains all across the world were disrupted, people and goods continued to flow safely and smoothly between Malaysia and Singapore."
Lee said when the Johor Bahru Singapore Rapid Transit System Link is completed in 2026, travel between our two countries would become
even easier.