Embassies

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for facilitating and co-ordinating Singapore’s international relations. Singapore is non-aligned. It is a member of the United Nations, and several of its specialised and related agencies, and also of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Commonwealth. Singapore has participated in UN peacekeeping/observer missions in Kuwait, Angola, Namibia, Cambodia, and Timor-Leste. Singapore supports the concept of Southeast Asian regionalism and plays an active role in ASEAN, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum.

Bilateral co-operation exists between Singapore and many countries, and around 85 foreign embassies or consulates are located in the country. Due to the significance of the country as a trade hub, both in Asia and internationally, embassies naturally try to strengthen trade links and attempt to foster new ones. For example, the US Ambassador to Singapore has in the past hosted US Ambassadors to other countries as a platform to meet with local American businesses – the idea being to showcase export and investment opportunities on an international forum and to showcase American business to this key Asian market.

Singapore maintains embassies and consulates in approximately 50 countries around the world. These embassies and consulates provide entry-points for visa applications, an accessible method of promoting tourism in Singapore, contact details, the basis of bilateral relations with the host nation, and a venue to Singapore’s expatriates to vote in elections at home. Embassies and consulates also link up to Singapore’s greater foreign policy, especially to elements related to the UN and its links with the other Southeast Asian countries through the ASEAN. This is reflected in the concentration of permanent missions within its immediate neighbours, and in larger economies – such as the USA, India, and China.