November 10, 2009 19:05 PM

Singapore To Receive VVIP Guests During APEC Week

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- Singapore, the host of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Leaders' Summit this week, will receive a number of VVIP guests before and after the summit in the weekend.

The republic's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will visit the city-state for two days from Sunday.

Medvedev's visit to the city-state will be the first by a Russian President, the ministry said Tuesday.

The president, who will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov and a business delegation, will call on President S. R. Nathan, and meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Tomorrow, China's President, Hu Jintao, will start his three-day state visit to the city-state at the invitation of Nathan prior to attending the Apec summit beginning Saturday.

Hu will also meet Prime Minister Lee and jointly witness the signing of a number of bilateral agreements between the two countries.

Lee said in an interview with Xinhua news agency recently that Hu's visit would give the already good ties between China and Singapore a boost.

-- BERNAMA

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