ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SERZH SARGSIAN AND SINGAPORE’S SENIOR MINISTER LEE KUAN YEW EXCHANGE THOUGHTS ON THE SNGAPORE’S DEVELOPMENT MODEL

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS:On the invitation of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew is in Armenia on an official visit. He was Singapore’s First Prime Minister and headed the executive power of the state for 31 years. Lee Kuan Yew is known as the founder of Singapore’s model of economic reforms. Today the Singapore Senior Minister was hosted by the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. Presidential Press Office told Armenpress that greeting the top-official President Sargsyan said: “There are few people in the world who are not delighted with the Singapore wander and everyone very definitely imagine that being the first prime minister You are the author and organizer of the issue. And of course the model is very desirable for small states.” The Head of the State expressed confidence that the visit of Lee Kuan Yew will give a new breathe to Armenia-Singapore historical relations and stressed that he has signed a decree on granting him with a Medal of Honor for his activity directed toward establishment of relations between the two states and activity targeted toward the development. Receiving the award with gratitude the Singapore’s Senior Minister said that he is glad for the opportunity to visit Armenia. According to him though the number of Armenians in Singapore is little but they had a decisive role in the development of the state and an Armenian church functions in one of the best known places of the state. President of the republic and the Senior Minister exchanged thoughts on the Singapore’s development model and discussed the opportunity of conduction of consultations on the achieved experience. According to Lee Kuan Yew their experience prompts that the high level education lays on the bases of efficient development of the state, for which necessary conditions should be created giving the youth an opportunity to study in the foreign high level educational establishments. President Sargsyan said that already serious steps are conducted in Armenia in that direction and for the first `time` this year a number of young people will study in foreign first class educational establishments with the financial assistance of the state. The President of the Republic also got interested in the Singapore’s experience of consolidation of Civil Service system noting that Armenia intends to implement wide scale reforms in that sphere. An agreement has been reached to send a group to a business trip to Singapore to get acquainted with the experience and be retrained at the place.