Singapore President Tharman Receives Full State Welcome at Istana Negara During First Official Visit to Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was accorded a full state welcoming ceremony at Istana Negara on Monday, marking his first state visit to Malaysia since assuming office in September 2023.
President Tharman, accompanied by First Lady Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, arrived at the national palace at 10 a.m., where they were received by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah.
Also present at the ceremony were Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail; Deputy Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof; along with members of the Malaysian cabinet.
The ceremonial welcome at the palace parade ground featured the playing of the national anthems of Singapore and Malaysia by the Central Band of the Royal Malay Regiment, followed by a traditional 21-gun salute.
President Tharman then inspected a guard of honour comprising four officers and 103 personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, commanded by Major Mohd Masrur Hidayat Masri.
The Singaporean leader is on a three-day state visit to Malaysia from July 13 to 15 at the invitation of the King of Malaysia.
According to Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit reciprocates Sultan Ibrahim’s state visit to Singapore in May 2024 and underscores the close, longstanding and multifaceted relationship between the two neighbouring countries.
Malaysia and Singapore continue to enjoy robust economic cooperation. Singapore remained Malaysia’s second-largest trading partner globally and its largest trading partner within ASEAN in 2025.
Total bilateral trade reached RM402.35 billion in 2025, representing a 1.5 per cent increase over the previous year. Trade momentum has remained strong in 2026, with total trade rising 14.5 per cent to RM189.90 billion between January and May, compared with RM165.93 billion during the same period in 2025.
The state visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral cooperation across trade, investment, regional affairs and people-to-people ties, reflecting the enduring partnership between Malaysia and Singapore.