The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Abbreviation: MFA; Kementerian Ehwal Luar Negeri; Chinese: 新加坡外交部) is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for conducting and managing diplomatic relations between Singapore and other countries and regions. It is headed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the office currently held by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan.
Established in 1965, the Ministry now has 50 overseas missions including 7 High Commissions, 21 Embassies, 4 Permanent Missions to the United Nations, and 17 consulates. Singapore has appointed 31 Honorary Consuls-General/Consuls abroad and has 46 non-resident Ambassadors and High Commissioners based in Singapore. The MFA provides consular assistance to Singaporeans travelling, working and studying overseas. The MFA 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 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.
Singapore maintains diplomatic relations with 188 countries. In Singapore, there are 70 resident foreign Embassies and High Commissions, 43 foreign Consulates, and 11 International Organisations based in Singapore. In addition, more than 60 non-resident foreign Ambassadors are accredited to Singapore.
Minister for Foreign Affairs[]
| Years in Office | Minister |
|---|---|
| 1965–1980 | S Rajaratnam |
| 1980–1988 | Suppiah Dhanabalan |
| 1988–1994 | Wong Kan Seng |
| 1994–2004 | Shunmugam Jayakumar |
| 2004–2011 | George Yeo |
| 2011–2015 | K. Shanmugam |
| 2015– Present | Vivian Balakrishnan |
See also[]
- Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Foreign relations of Singapore
- List of diplomatic missions of Singapore
References[]
External links[]
Template:Commons category
- Official Website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs