Singapore: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong at the Parliament House on Thursday after which they elevated the bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership. The two leaders extensively reviewed various facets of the bilateral relationship covering areas of advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalisation, healthcare and medicine, skills development and sustainability.
"A new chapter in India-Singapore ties: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established. PM @narendramodi and PM @LawrenceWongST held a productive meeting in Singapore today. The leaders agreed to elevate the India-Singapore ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They extensively reviewed various facets of the bilateral relationship covering areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Connectivity, Digitalization, Healthcare & Medicine, Skills Development and Sustainability," said the Ministry of External Affairs on its official X handle.
Speaking at the delegation-level talks, PM Modi said, "I thank you for your warm welcome. This is our first meeting after you assumed the post of Prime Minister. Many congratulations to you from my side. I am confident that under the leadership of 4G, Singapore will progress even faster. Singapore is not just a country, Singapore is an inspiration for every developing country. We also want to create several Singapores in India and I am happy that we are working together in this direction. The ministerial roundtable that has been formed between us is a path-breaking mechanism."
The leaders also witnessed the exchange of several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on the India-Singapore Semiconductor Ecosystem Partnership, cooperation in the field of Digital Technologies, Education Cooperation and Skills Development and Health and Medicine. The meeting between the two leaders comes months after Wong took over as premier and Modi began his third term as prime minister.
According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, both leaders reviewed the progress of India – Singapore bilateral relations. Given the breadth and depth of bilateral ties and immense potential, they decided to elevate the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This would also give a major boost to India’s Act East Policy, it added.
They also reviewed existing cooperation in the fields of defence and security, maritime domain awareness, education, AI, Fintech, new technology domains, science and technology and knowledge partnership. The two leaders called for strengthening connectivity between the countries to enhance economic and people-to-people ties. They also called for acceleration in green corridor projects.
Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will also call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Lee will host a lunch for Modi. Modi will also meet with Singaporean business leaders and interact with those in the country’s semiconductor ecosystem.
PM Modi in Singapore
PM Modi on Wednesday arrived in Singapore for the first time in nearly six years, marking his fifth official visit after concluding his 'productive' two-day trip to Brunei, where he was the first Indian leader to make a bilateral visit. PM Modi came to Singapore at the invitation of his counterpart Lawrence Wong. He was accorded a warm welcome upon his arrival by the Indian diaspora and Singaporean officials.
PM Modi was also accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Singapore Parliament House on Thursday before the delegation-level talks with Wong. Both PMs will visit a semiconductor manufacturing facility to build synergies in the semiconductor ecosystems of Singapore and India, officials said.
"Looking forward to the various meetings aimed at boosting the India-Singapore friendship. India’s reforms and the talent of our Yuva Shakti makes our nation an ideal investment destination. We also look forward to closer cultural ties," said the PM on X upon his arrival in Singapore, where he was greeted with a grand welcome by the Indian diaspora.
Modi is accompanied by Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and other government officials. PM Modi's visit comes ahead of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership. "Our trade and investment flows have shown steady growth, we have robust defence cooperation and growing exchanges in culture and education and we have identified new anchors of our partnership under the India-Singapore Ministerial Round Table framework," said the MEA.
ALSO READ | PM Modi meets Singapore counterpart Lawrence Wong to discuss bilateral ties | WATCH
