Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will pay an official visit to Singapore on June 2, marking his first official trip to the Southeast Asian city-state since taking office, according to the Foreign Ministry.
During the visit, Fidan is expected to be received by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and hold separate meetings with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam.
The Turkish foreign minister is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the prestigious Raffles Lectures event organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), where he is expected to outline Türkiye’s foreign policy priorities and regional outlook.
According to ministry sources, discussions will focus on expanding bilateral trade and investment ties, strengthening defense and defense industry cooperation, and addressing regional and global developments.
Fidan is expected to emphasize the importance of increasing trade volume under the framework of the Türkiye-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force in 2017. The agreement, signed in 2015, is considered one of Türkiye’s most comprehensive trade deals, covering goods, services, investments and government procurement.
The minister is also expected to highlight the growing strategic value of defense cooperation amid evolving regional security dynamics and discuss potential steps to deepen collaboration in the defense industry sector.
As two countries located along strategically significant maritime and trade routes, Türkiye and Singapore are expected to explore opportunities for cooperation in connectivity and energy security, which Ankara views as critical to regional and global stability.
The talks are also expected to cover emerging sectors including renewable energy, electric vehicles, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, digitalization, financial technologies and the halal food industry.
On the multilateral front, Fidan is expected to underline the importance of cooperation within international platforms, including the United Nations, the Group of 20 and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He is also expected to reiterate Türkiye’s commitment to advancing its ties with ASEAN and its aspiration to upgrade its current Sectoral Dialogue Partnership status to full Dialogue Partnership.
Regional issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the conflict in Gaza, developments involving Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, Syria and the South China Sea, are also expected to be discussed.
Türkiye established its first honorary consulate in Singapore in 1865. The first Ottoman consul general assigned to Singapore, Ataullah Ahmed Efendi, took office in 1901.
Diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Singapore were formally established on Feb. 12, 1969, while Türkiye opened its embassy in Singapore on Nov. 1, 1985.
Bilateral relations have continued to develop positively under the Strategic Partnership framework established between the two countries in 2014.
Trade volume between Türkiye and Singapore reached $1.07 billion in 2025. Since 2002, Singapore has invested approximately $11 billion in Türkiye, including around $1 billion in foreign direct investment and $10 billion in portfolio investment.
The Türkiye-Singapore Free Trade Agreement, signed in 2015, entered into force in 2017. Covering not only trade in goods but also services, investments and government procurement, the agreement is considered one of the most comprehensive free trade agreements Türkiye has concluded to date.
