SINGAPORE, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) will conduct training at an airbase in Western Australia for another 25 years, under a new treaty signed here Monday at a high-level dialogue between the two countries.
During the 10th Singapore-Australia Joint Ministerial Committee (SAJMC) meeting, the Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen and Australian Minister for Defence Marise Payne signed the pact that will allow the RSAF to maintain and operate its Flying Training Institute in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Pearce for another 25 years.
The meeting was jointly presided by the Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop, which also attracted the ministers for trade from both countries.
The treaty will renew an existing memorandum of understanding, which was signed in 1993 and will expire next year.
The RSAF also conducts helicopter training at the RAAF's Oakey Army Aviation Center, fighter training at Darwin and Amberley in Queensland, and air grading at Tamworth in New South Wales.
The Singaporean and Australian ministers also reviewed and welcomed the progress made in defense cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was forged by Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in 2015.
