SINGAPORE, Sept 18- Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has written to former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew congratulate him on the occasion of Lee’s 90th birthday on Sunday.
In a statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Her Majesty’s message was a reflection of the warm ties between the two Leaders and the deep friendship between Singapore and the United Kingdom, which was underpinned by longstanding historical links and robust bilateral cooperation across many sectors.
It was reported that several other world leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s former vice-premier Li Lanqing had also sent birthday greetings to Lee.
Lee, who was born in Singapore in 1923, is considered among greatly admired leaders of the world, just like Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed .
Lee helmed Singapore from 1959 until Nov 1990. After his resignation in 1990 as prime minister, Lee was appointed Senior Minister by Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and was re-appointed again after the 1991, 1997 and 2001 general elections.
He was then appointed Minister Mentor by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in August 2004, and was reappointed to the same position after the 2006 general elections.
He, however, stepped down as Minister Mentor in May 2011.
– BERNAMA
