KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam was accorded a state welcoming ceremony at Istana Negara today, marking his first state visit to Malaysia since assuming office in September 2023.
President Tharman and his wife, Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, arrived at Istana Negara at 10am and were received by His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia.
Also in attendance were Prime Minister Datuk Seri 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; as well as Cabinet ministers.
The welcoming ceremony at the parade ground began with the playing of the national anthems of Singapore and Malaysia by the Central Band of the Royal Malay Regiment, followed by a 21-gun salute.
President Tharman then inspected a guard of honour mounted by four officers and 103 personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment, led by Major Mohd Masrur Hidayat Masri.
President Tharman is undertaking a three-day state visit to Malaysia from July 13 to 15 at the invitation of the King.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the visit reciprocates Sultan Ibrahim’s state visit to Singapore on May 6 and 7, 2024, and reflects the close and longstanding bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries.
The ministry noted that Singapore remains Malaysia’s second-largest trading partner globally and its largest within Asean.
Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Singapore totalled RM402.35 billion (US$93.97 billion) in 2025, an increase of 1.5 per cent compared with 2024.
Trade continued to grow this year, rising 14.5 per cent to RM189.90 billion (US$47.87 billion) between January and May 2026, compared with RM165.93 billion (US$37.65 billion) during the corresponding period in 2025.
