The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA; ms, Kementerian Ehwal Luar Negeri; zh, 新加坡外交部; ta, வெளியுறவு அமைச்சு) is a
ministry of the
Government of Singapore responsible for conducting and managing diplomatic relations between
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
and other countries and regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also provides consular assistance to Singaporeans travelling, working and studying overseas.
Organisational structure
The ministry now has 50 overseas missions including 7
high commissions, 21
embassies
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
, 4
permanent missions to the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
, and 17
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...
s. Singapore has appointed 31
honorary consuls-general/
consul
Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...
s abroad and has 46 non-resident
ambassadors and
high commissioners based in Singapore.
The ministry is currently divided into 11 directorates which deal with political and economic matters, and 7 directorates which oversee matters relating to protocol, consular issues and the
Singapore Cooperation Programme The Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP) is a series of programmes conducted by the Government of Singapore to facilitate the sharing with other developing countries the technical and systems skills that Singapore has learned and acquired over the ...
(SCP) among others.
The Corporate Affairs Directorate oversees organisational and resource management while the Human Resource Directorate and Diplomatic Academy manage the development of personnel and training.
Impact
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
has maintain diplomatic relations with 188 countries. In Singapore, there are 70 resident foreign
embassies
A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...
and
high commissions, 43 foreign
consulate
A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of diplomatic mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth c ...
s and 11 international organisations based in Singapore. In addition, more than 60 non-resident foreign ambassadors are accredited to Singapore.
Ministers
The Ministry is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who is appointed as part of the
Cabinet of Singapore
The Cabinet of Singapore forms the executive branch of the Government of Singapore together with the President. It is led by the Prime Minister who is the head of government. The prime minister is a Member of Parliament (MP) appointed by the ...
. The incumbent minister is
Vivian Balakrishnan
Vivian Balakrishnan ( ta, விவியன் பாலகிருஷ்ணன்; born 1961) is a Singaporean politician, diplomat and former ophthalmologist who has been serving in the Cabinet as Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2015. A m ...
from the
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (abbreviation: PAP) is a major conservative centre-right political party in Singapore and is one of the three contemporary political parties represented in Parliament, alongside the opposition Workers' Party (WP) and ...
.
See also
*
List of current foreign ministers
This is a list of current foreign ministers of the 193 United Nations member states as well as the Holy See ( Vatican City) and the State of Palestine.
Foreign ministers of sovereign countries with limited recognition, some alternative gover ...
*
Foreign relations of Singapore
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with 187 countries although it does not maintain a high commission or embassy in many of those countries.
Singapore supports the concept of Southeast Asian regionalism and plays an active role in the A ...
*
List of diplomatic missions of Singapore
References
External links
* of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore)
Foreign relations of Singapore
Foreign Affairs
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
Ministries established in 1965
1965 establishments in Singapore