New Delhi: A week after Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his historic visits to Poland and Ukraine, he will next embark on a visit to Brunei and Singapore on September 3-4. He will become the first Indian leader to visit Brunei on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The Prime Minister is also expected to visit Singapore on September 4-5. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the invitation of his Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, is scheduled to visit Brunei on 3rd and 4th September 2024. This will be the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei. From Brunei, the PM will thereafter visit Singapore on the 4th and 5th of September 2024 at the invitation of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong of Singapore," said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
This came after PM Modi concluded his day-long historic visit to Ukraine on August 23 which followed a trip to Poland. He became the first Indian PM to visit Ukraine since its independence. He met President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv and offered to provide assistance in bringing peace to the region. He also promised that India would always stand with Ukraine for humanitarian assistance.
India-Brunei relations
India and Brunei Darussalam established diplomatic relations on May 10, 1984. The Indian mission in Brunei was established on May 18, 1993. Before this, the Indian Mission in Kuala Lumpur was concurrently accredited to Brunei. The resident High Commission of Brunei Darussalam was established in India on August 12, 1992.
According to the Indian High Commission, Brunei's Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, has been amongst the strongest votary of close relations with India and, has supported and ensured the welfare of the Indian community in Brunei. It is also supportive of India’s ‘Look East Policy’ and ‘Act East Policy’ for expansion and deepening of cooperation with ASEAN.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the first Indian leader to visit Brunei when he participated in the 11th ASEAN-India Summit and the 8th EAS Summit on October 9-10, 2013. PM Modi and the Sultan first met on the side lines of 25th ASEAN Summit at Nay Pyi Taw in 2014.
Why PM Modi is going to Singapore?
PM Modi's upcoming visit to Singapore follows high-level meeting between senior ministers of both countries, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. They held a "productive" round of discussions at the second multi-ministerial roundtable and explored how the two countries can boost bilateral cooperation in digital, skill development, sustainability, healthcare, connectivity and advanced manufacturing.
Calling the ministers-only meeting "productive", Singapore's Foreign Minister Balakrishnan said it also sets the stage for an official visit to Singapore by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will "occur shortly". On Monday he said that both countries want to collaborate on advanced manufacturing and semiconductors -- a sector that India wants to expand significantly, and one where Singapore punches well above its weight.
Balakrishnan said advanced manufacturing and semiconductors, as well as aviation and maritime connectivity, are the new areas that Singapore and India have added to a high-level platform for discussing ways to enhance bilateral cooperation. India is also likely to see tremendous growth in aviation in the coming years, having ordered more than 1,000 planes in the past year alone, the Singaporean foreign minister said, adding it represents great opportunities for services such as maintenance and air operations in the coming years.
(with agency inputs)
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