Speaker Seah Kian Peng & WP's Pritam Singh in parliamentary delegation visiting Vatican City, Italy & France

Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng will be visiting the Vatican City, Rome and Strausbourg in France from Oct. 18 to 23 with a parliamentary delegation from Singapore.

According to a press release by the Parliament of Singapore, the visit is aimed at strengthening inter-parliamentary ties and deepening Singapore’s engagement with European institutions.

Seah will be accompanied by Members of Parliament Sharael Taha, Pritam Singh (from the Workers' Party), Cassandra Lee and Charlene Chen.

What will the trip entail?

In the Vatican City, Seah and the delegation will meet the Vatican's Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.

These engagements will reaffirm the "warm relations" between Singapore and the Vatican and provide opportunities to exchange views on regional and global developments, the press release added.

The visit will also advance parliamentary, and interpersonal exchanges.

In Rome, Seah and the delegation will meet the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana.

They will also meet Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy and Chairman of the Bilateral Friendship Section Italy-Southeast Asia, Ciro Maschio, and other Italian parliamentarians.

The engagements will provide opportunities to strengthen parliamentary relations between Singapore and Italy and exchange views on issues of mutual interest.

Seah will also attend a dinner with overseas Singaporeans based in Rome, reinforcing the interpersonal links between the two countries.

As for Strausbourg, Seah and the delegation will meet the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister.

The meetings will provide opportunities to reaffirm inter-parliamentary ties and exchange views on regional and international developments.

The delegation will also visit the European Parliament and observe a Plenary Session, visit the Council of Europe and the Strasbourg Mayoralty, and engage with other Members of the European Parliament.