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Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean unveiled a new orchid hybrid on Jan. 22 to mark the strong relations between Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The orchid, called Dendrobium Expo 2020 Dubai orchid, was named in honour of the World Expo, and will be displayed at the Singapore Pavilion's Flower Cone for a limited time, according to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

Two other orchid hybrids will be displayed as well. They are the Dendrobium Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak orchid hybrid, named after UAE Mother of the Nation Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, and the Aranda Lee Kuan Yew, named in honour of the late Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first Prime Minister.

Singapore and the UAE are strong advocates of sustainability

Officiating at the Singapore Day ceremony along with Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Teo added that besides marking "the flourishing ties" between both countries, the unveiling of the orchid also underlies their "shared love and respect for nature".

Both Singapore and the UAE are "strong advocates of creating a more sustainable future", he said, attributing this ethos to their founding fathers.

Teo said, "His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late founding President of the UAE, was said to have described the environment as an integral part of the UAE’s history and heritage."

"In Singapore, our commitment towards a green environment started in the 1960s thanks to the vision of our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, way before words like 'sustainability' and 'climate change' entered our lexicon," he added.

In his speech, Teo also said both Singapore and the UAE share common outlooks and challenges as small states and hubs in their respective regions, adding that the Singapore-UAE Comprehensive Partnership provides a useful framework to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

In addition, Teo said both countries share strong people-to-people ties, highlighting that the UAE hosts the largest number of Singaporeans in the region.

Teo arrived back in Singapore on Jan. 23 after his working visit to the UAE from Jan. 20 to 22.

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Top image via Ministry of Communications and Information