BERLIN - President Halimah Yacob will arrive in Germany on Monday (Dec 9) for a five-day state visit, the first by a Singapore head of state to the country.

The President's visit will begin in the capital Berlin, where she will meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel. She will also visit German companies in Berlin, Frankfurt and Heidelberg and meet overseas Singaporeans.

The visit is at the invitation of President Steinmeier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on Sunday. It reciprocates his state visit in November 2017, which was the first state visit to Singapore by a German head of state.

President Halimah will be given a ceremonial welcome by President Steinmeier, and be hosted to a state banquet at his official residence.

She will also meet Dr Merkel and Berlin mayor Michael Mueller.

While in Berlin, Madam Halimah will also witness the signing of 11 memorandums of understanding (MOUs) between Singaporean and German partners from a variety of sectors, and visit German engineering and technology giant Bosch's Internet of Things campus.

In Frankfurt, Madam Halimah will meet Minister-President Volker Bouffier of the Federal State of Hesse in the city of Wiesbaden.

Germany was Singapore's 12th largest trading partner globally last year and its largest trading partner in the European Union, accounting for one-fifth of Singapore's total trade with the EU.

Madam Halimah will be accompanied by her husband, Mr Mohamed Abdullah Alhabshee.

Also in her delegation are Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs as well as Trade and Industry Tan Wu Meng, and MPs Fatimah Lateef, Patrick Tay and Murali Pillai.

A business delegation organised by the Singapore Business Federation and Enterprise Singapore will also be in Germany in conjunction with the state visit.

Mr Eddie Teo, who chairs the Council of Presidential Advisers, will be Acting President while Madam Halimah is away.