Luxembourg Honours President Tharman with 21-Gun Salute

State visit marks 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries

- Clement Tan

Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa welcomed President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and his spouse, Mrs Jane Ittogi Shanmugaratnam, at the forecourt of the Grand Ducal Palace on the morning of March 27, kicking off the first state visit by a Singaporean leader to Luxembourg.

The two-day visit also commemorates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, which established ties in March 1975.

After Mr Tharman was presented with a military guard of honour, the Singapore flag was hoisted atop the palace against the booms of a 21-gun salute. He and Mrs Tharman then had a meeting with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess.

Mr Tharman then laid a wreath at the National Monument of Luxembourg Solidarity that commemorates the dead in World War II, and honours the resistance and solidarity of the nation during the Nazi occupation.

He held a ceremonial sword to an eternal flame at the front of the memorial, which overlooks the Petrusse River that flows through Luxembourg, and greeted members of the Second World War Remembrance Committee and representatives of patriotic movements and associations.

Upon returning to the palace, Mr Tharman received calls by the President of the Luxembourg Chamber of Deputies Claude Wiseler, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Xavier Bettel.