Luxembourg honours President Tharman with 21-gun salute in first state visit by a Singapore leader (2025)

LUXEMBOURG – Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa welcomed President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his spouse, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, at the forecourt of the Grand Ducal Palace on the morning of March 27, kicking off the first state visit by a Singaporean leader to Luxembourg.

The two-day visit also commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which established ties in March 1975.

After Mr Tharman was presented with a military guard of honour, the Singapore flag was hoisted atop the palace against the booms of a 21-gun salute. He and Mrs Tharman then had a meeting with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess.

Mr Tharman then laid a wreath at the National Monument of Luxembourg Solidarity that commemorates the dead in World War II, and honours the resistance and solidarity of the nation during the Nazi occupation.

He held a ceremonial sword to an eternal flame at the front of the memorial, which overlooks the Petrusse River that flows through Luxembourg, and greeted members of the Second World War Remembrance Committee and representatives of patriotic movements and associations.

Upon returning to the palace, Mr Tharman received calls by the President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies Claude Wiseler, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel.

“During these meetings, both sides welcomed the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, and underlined the strong state of bilateral economic cooperation,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“They discussed the potential for greater cooperation in traditional areas like trade and finance, and in emerging sectors like digitalisation and space technology. They also exchanged views on global and regional developments and the role of small states,” it added.

Luxembourg is a landlocked western European country of 680,000 people, with one of the highest gross domestic product per capita in the world and a robust financial sector.

Despite being one of Europe’s smallest nations, it is one of Singapore’s biggest investors from the European Union, and among the Republic’s largest investment destinations in the EU.

Nearly 500 Luxembourg companies operate in Singapore. Among them are Cargolux, Europe’s largest cargo airline, and ArcelorMittal, the world’s second-largest steel producer.

Singapore and Luxembourg are also members of the Forum of Small States, an informal, voluntary and non-ideological forum of UN member states, which Singapore has chaired since its establishment in 1992.

In the afternoon, Mr Tharman attended a formal reception at the city’s town hall hosted by Mayor of the City of Luxembourg Lydie Polfer, after he and Mrs Tharman were greeted by children waving flags of both countries in the square.

“We have greatly contributed to building long-lasting economic resilience, sustaining social mobility and deepening Singapore’s model of multicultural inclusion, which is something that we hold dear in our countries,” said Ms Polfer.

“Your commitment to these core values is the reflection of the shared aspirations of our nations and societies: Societies which celebrate diversity, inclusion and tolerance, where fellow citizens can learn from one another in a thriving sociocultural and economic environment, and where access to education and equal opportunities are guaranteed to our children, but also to those who aspire and who have more difficulties in making their life more successful,” she added.

Mr Tharman also visited the Mudam Museum of Modern Art, which is hosting a travelling retrospective on the work of Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen that takes viewers on a journey through layers of history in East and South-east Asia, titled Time And The Tiger.

To round off the first day, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were due to host a state banquet in the palace in honour of President Tharman and Mrs Tharman.

Before leaving Luxembourg on March 28, Mr Tharman is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Luc Frieden. He will also take part in a discussion with Grand Duke Henri, Finance Minister Gilles Roth, and financial sector leaders in Luxembourg that brings together experts in finance, fintech and sustainable finance.

He is also due to visit the Grand-Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps of Luxembourg (CGDIS) and Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES), the European satellite operator.

SES and Singapore-based SpeQtral, a quantum communications tech company, will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide a framework for both companies to develop an interoperable optical ground station capable of seamless and secure communications with current and future secure satellite missions, tapping quantum technology.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force and CGDIS will also sign an MOU to explore best practices and other opportunities for collaboration.

On March 26, Mr Tharman also met European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels before travelling to Luxembourg.

“Singapore is one of our most trusted partners,” Dr von der Leyen wrote in a post on X. “We stand together for a rule-based global order and a free and open Indo-Pacific. We want to do more together in security and defence.”

• Clement Tan is an assistant foreign editor at The Straits Times. He helps to oversee coverage of South Asia, the US, Europe, the Middle East and Oceania.

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