Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed the warm and longstanding relations between Singapore and Turkey during a meeting in Istanbul on Friday (June 19).
– In a Facebook post, PM Wong said: “President Erdogan and I had a fruitful exchange on how to further deepen these ties, creating even more opportunities for our businesses and people.
– “We also discussed the rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape, reaffirming our shared commitment to a rules-based international order.”
– The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement that the leaders discussed ways to build on their strategic partnership, as well as the Turkey-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, to strengthen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and transport.
– They also discussed ways to increase bilateral engagements, including through more high-level visits, and welcomed Turkey’s intent to increase its engagement with Asean, said MFA.
– PM Wong said that the friendly relations with Turkey run deep.
– “While our formal diplomatic ties were established in 1969, our historical links trace all the way back to 1865, when the Ottoman Empire first established a Consulate in Singapore,” he added.
– PM Wong was in Istanbul while on transit from Kazan, where he attended the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit.
– He last met President Erdogan on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg in November 2025.