Central Asia

Singapore enjoys friendly bilateral relations with the Central Asian countries. There have been increased interactions in recent years, especially with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, as both sides explore ways to promote political and economic cooperation. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and Uzbek President Islam Karimov made State Visits to Singapore in November 2003 and January 2007 respectively. Foreign Minister George Yeo visited Kazakhstan in June 2006, while Speaker of Parliament Abdullah Tarmugi visited Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in April 2007 and April 2009 respectively. More recently, Tajik Foreign Minister Hamrokhon Zarifi visited Singapore in December 2009. This was followed by the State Visit of Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in March 2010. Senior Minister of State Zainul Abidin Rasheed visited Uzbekistan in April 2010. Singapore has worked closely with the Governments of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to create a more conducive environment for bilateral trade and investment and to foster greater people-to-people interaction. Singapore has signed Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs) and Air Services Agreements (ASA) with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and an Investment Guarantee Agreement (IGA) with Uzbekistan. Singapore has also established business forums with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan that met recently in November 2009 and April 2010 respectively. In terms of diplomatic representation, both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan maintain embassies in Singapore while Non-Resident Ambassador (NRA) Sim Cheok Lim has been concurrently accredited to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan since 1999.