President of the French Defence Committee of the National Assembly, Mr Jean-Jacques Bridey, called on Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning. Both sides reaffirmed the strong and broad-based defence relationship, and exchanged views on ongoing international geopolitical and security developments.

Mr Bridey is visiting Singapore from 18 to 19 April 2018 with two other French Members of Parliament of the Defence Committee of the National Assembly. As part of his visit programme, Mr Bridey also called on the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development Mr Neo Kian Hong, and visited the Information Fusion Centre and Changi Regional Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Coordination Centre at RSS Singapura-Changi Naval Base on 18 April 2018.

The visit by Mr Bridey underscores the strong and broad-based defence relationship between Singapore and France. The armed forces and defence establishments of both countries engage in regular high-level interactions, which include policy dialogues, professional exchanges, joint military exercises, and cross-attendance of courses. The Republic of Singapore Air Force’s Advanced Jet Training has also been conducted in Cazaux, France since 1998. Both sides share various bilateral defence technology interactions and exchanges, including the Singapore and France Advanced Research Initiative (SAFARI) meetings. These exchanges have enhanced the friendship and mutual understanding between both countries.