Blinken, Singapore Foreign Minister Sign MOU To Renew Development Training - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th September, 2021) US Secretary State Antony Blinken and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan signed a memorandum extending a development and capacity building training program with the addition of more courses on environmental issues, State Department spokesperson Ned price said in a statement.

"They signed a Memorandum of Understanding renewing the 10-year partnership of the US-Singapore Third Country Training Program and emphasized climate change and environmental sustainability, with an understanding to include courses focused on these important topics each year," Price said in the statement released on Monday.

Before their meeting Balakrishnan told reporters courses will be updated to also include topics such as digital space, smart cities, and epidemic preparation.

According to the State Department, the US-Singapore Third Country Training Program (TCTP) is focused on capacity building through training courses on topics like connectivity, sustainable development, cybersecurity, WTO trade facilitation, biological threats, and intellectual property rights, among many others.