KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today congratulated Tharman Shanmugaratnam who was sworn in as Singapore’s ninth president yesterday.

In a post on Istana Negara Facebook, Al-Sultan Abdullah expressed the hope that Malaysia and Singapore will continue to work closely to bring progress and prosperity to both countries and their people.

"His Majesty also expressed the hope that Malaysia and Singapore, as two neighbouring countries with deep historical ties, will continue to work together to improve bilateral relations in various fields for mutual benefit,” according to the post.

Shanmugaratnam won the presidential election with more than 70 per cent of the 2.5 million votes last September 1.

In his maiden speech as head of state yesterday, Shanmugaratnam said he would do his best to represent Singapore and promote the republic’s interests abroad in line with the objectives and priorities of the government. — Bernama