SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Minister for Overseas Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan have despatched letters of condolences to Mrs Nancy Kissinger, spouse of former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, stated the Ministry of Overseas Affairs in a press assertion on Friday (Dec 1).
Dr Kissinger died at his house in Connecticut on Wednesday, in line with an announcement from his geopolitical consulting agency, Kissinger Associates Inc.
It stated he could be interred at a personal household service, to be adopted at a later date by a public memorial service in New York Metropolis.
In his letter to Mrs Kissinger on Thursday, Mr Lee stated he and his spouse, Mdm Ho Ching, have been “deeply saddened” by the loss of life of Dr Kissinger.
He stated Dr Kissinger shall be “remembered warmly” by many all over the world.
“He was a peerless diplomat, true statesman, and visionary of his time,” Mr Lee stated. “As a pacesetter, he served with conviction and pragmatism.”
Mr Lee cited Dr Kissinger’s involvement in US president Richard Nixon’s rapprochement with China in 1972 as a “watershed second” that led to an prolonged interval of steady US-China relations. It resulted in regular world progress and deepening globalisation lasting a long time, vastly benefitting the US and plenty of different nations.
He additionally stated that from Singapore’s perspective, one other of Dr Kissinger’s main accomplishments was the extraction of the US from the Vietnam Battle.
“He felt deeply the necessity to shield US credibility and its world affect, and refused to easily abandon America’s South Vietnamese ally,” stated Mr Lee.
“Although he was bitterly criticised for his actions, his technique purchased the non-Communist nations of Southeast Asia valuable time. We have been capable of construct up our political, financial, and navy power, and to organise ourselves into the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
“By the point South Vietnam fell in 1975, and the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1978, the Asean members have been significantly better capable of take care of the safety threats.”
Mr Lee added that Dr Kissinger travelled to Singapore in March 2015 for the state funeral of his father, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. He additionally recalled the “transferring eulogy” by Dr Kissinger at a personal memorial service for the late Mr Lee in New York later that 12 months.
Mr Lee additionally stated he had the privilege of understanding Dr Kissinger personally and benefitted vastly from his “counsel, knowledge, and curiosity concerning the world”.
He added that he final met Dr Kissinger throughout a go to to New York in April 2022, they usually spoke for greater than an hour.
“Dr Kissinger touched many hearts all through his lengthy life. His legacy will stay with us for a very long time to return,” stated Mr Lee.
