Prime Minister Netanyahu is also a great admirer of the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew.
A historic moment like this is also a good occasion to understand how it is possible.
A country is like a bird that needs two wings to fly, the domestic wing and the external wing of foreign relations. And both wings are needed in order to fly.
Today Singapore can punch above her weight because of economic success at home as well as success in our foreign policies abroad.
This success did not come by chance. Nor should it be taken for granted. It is the result of integrity, hard work and competence, and good, strong governance with integrity first.
LKY once said that a small nation must seek the maximum number of friends while maintaining the freedom to be itself as a sovereigh and independent nation.
Seeking the maximum number of friends in a world of conflicts is not an easy thing to do and requires adroit diplomatic skills.
Quote:
"Small countries have little power to alter the region, let alone the world. A small country must seek a maximum number of friends, while maintaining the freedom to be itself as a sovereign and independent nation. Both parts of the equation - maximum number of friends and freedom to be ourselves - are equally important and interrelated. Friendship, in international relations, is not a function of goodwill or personal affection. We must make ourselves relevant so that other countries have an interest in our continued survival and prosperity as a sovereign and independent nation. Singapore cannot take its relevance for granted. Small countries perform no vital or irreplaceable functions in the international system. Singapore has to continually reconstruct itself and keeps its relevance to the world and to create political and economic space. This is the economic imperative for Singapore." - LKY, 2009
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