September 19, 2025
SINGAPORE – President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be heading to Egypt from Sept 19 to 22 for his first state visit to the Middle East and North Africa.
His visit, at the invitation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will reaffirm Singapore’s longstanding relations with the North African country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Sept 18. The two countries will mark 60 years of diplomatic ties in 2026.
MFA said Mr Tharman will be accorded a state welcome ceremony at the Al Ittihadiya Palace in Cairo and will call on Mr Sisi, who was the first Egyptian president to make a state visit to Singapore when he came in 2015. Mr Sisi will also host a state banquet in Mr Tharman’s honour.
Mr Tharman will also meet Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, with both leaders officiating the opening of the Singapore-Egypt Business Forum.
Separately, Mr Tharman will also meet Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the grand imam of Cairo’s Al-Azhar Mosque, and Pope Tawadros II, the head of Egypt’s Coptic Church.
As part of his visit, Mr Tharman will be visiting the Egyptian Red Crescent headquarters, said MFA.
He will also go to the Suez Canal Economic Zone, and meet Singaporeans at a reception to commemorate SG60.
During the trip, Mr Tharman will be accompanied by his spouse, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Health Tan Kiat How, and MPs Hazlina Abdul Halim and Ng Shi Xuan. Officials from various ministries and government agencies will also be part of the delegation.
A business delegation, led by Singapore Business Federation chairman Teo Siong Seng, will also be on the visit.
Singapore is one of the largest Asian investors in Egypt, with direct investment valued at approximately $530 million, while Egypt is Singapore’s eighth-largest trading partner in Africa, with bilateral trade in services valued at over $1.3 billion as at 2023.
There have been several high-level visits between the two countries over the decades.
The last time a Singapore leader visited Egypt was in 2016, when then President Tony Tan made the trip. His predecessor S R Nathan did so in 2006, while then Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong did so in 2004.