Najib to hold four-eye meeting with Singapore PM

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak will have a four-eyed meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday morning in conjunction with the sixth Malaysia-Singapore Leaders' Retreat at Shangri-La Hotel here today.

This will be followed by a delegation meeting which is expected to see both sides discussing bilateral issues of mutual concern besides reviewing the progress of existing bilateral cooperation, including initiatives agreed during the 2014 Leaders' Retreat held in Putrajaya.

Top on the agenda at this year's retreat will be on improved connectivity between the two closest Asean neighbours, particularly the High Speed Rail (HSR) linking Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and the Singapore-Johor Bahru Rapid Transit System (RTS).

The annual leaders retreat is a key bilateral platform for the prime ministers to drive relations forward.

Late afternoon, Najib is expected to meet with the Malaysian community in Singapore.

In the evening, the prime minister will deliver a keynote address at the Economic Society of Singapore's Annual Dinner at the Shangri-La Hotel, which will be attended by Lee.

Najib is here accompanied by his wife and a high-level delegation, comprising several cabinet ministers, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, Minister of Transport Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamad, and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Datuk Seri Datuk Abdul Wahid Omar.

Also in the delegation are Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala and Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

The Singapore delegation includes Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean and several cabinet ministers. – Bernama