18
09, 2009

By the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan, Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor of Singapore, has arrived to Armenia on official visit

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By the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan, Lee Kuan Yew, Minister Mentor of Singapore, has arrived to Armenia on official visit. He was Singapore’s first Prime Minister and headed the executive branch of his country for 31 years. Lee Kuan Yew is well known as the founder of the Singaporean model of economic development. Today the Minister of Mentor of Singapore was received by the President of Armenia.

Welcoming the high guest, President Sargsyan said, “You can hardly find anyone, who wouldn’t admire the Singapore miracle and everyone realizes that you, being the first Prime Minister of your country, are the creator and administrator of that phenomenon. And, of course, that example is very desirable for small states.”

The President of Armenia expressed confidence that the visit of Lee Kuan Yew would give a new impetus to the historical Armenian-Singaporean relations and said that he signed a decree to award Mr. Lee Kuan Yew with the Order of Honor for his activities directed at the establishment and deepening of bilateral cooperation.

Receiving the award with gratitude, the Minister Mentor of Singapore said that he was happy for the opportunity to visit Armenia. He said also that even though the number of Armenians in Singapore is not large, they have played a significant role in the country’s development. He added that an Armenian church was located in the one of the most prominent places in town.

The President of Armenia and Minister Mentor of Singapore exchanged views on the Singaporean model of development and discussed the possibility of conducting consultations regarding the experience. Lee Kuan Yew said that their experience shows that in the base of efficient development lies high quality education for which all necessary conditions should be created, providing the young people with the opportunity to study abroad. President Sargsyan said that toward that end serious steps have already been taken in Armenia: through the state financial support this year, for the first time a group of students will study in the leading educational institutions abroad.

The President of Armenia inquired also about the Singaporean experience in establishing civil service, noting that Armenia was intending to conduct large scale reforms in that area as well. It was decided that a group of specialists would go to Singapore for retraining and learning about the experience first hand.

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