Tatarstan, one of the republics in the Russian Federation, has sent an incredibly high level delegation to Singapore for two weeks consisting of two DPMs, one for each week, about ten ministers and many officials. They are interested in all aspects of Singapore society. Lee Kuan Yew's memoirs provide common background reading for all of them. The Tatars are the descendants of the Mongols of the Golden Horde who once ruled Russia before the tables were turned by the Princes of Muscovy. Ethnic Russians make up over 40% of the population of Tatarstan. The ethnic Tatars themselves are mostly of mixed blood, many looking more European than Asian. I had a lively breakfast session with the delegation at MFA on Wednesday morning and told them how flattered we are by their great interest in the Singapore model of development. More importantly, this interest opens up opportunities for mutually-beneficial economic cooperation.
George Yeo
Comments