Singapore: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday called on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and discussed ways to further take forward the bilateral strategic partnership. The four ministers are in Singapore for the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) to be held on Monday to discuss bilateral cooperation and exchange views on issues of mutual interests.
"Honoured to jointly call on President @Tharman_S of Singapore. Conveyed the warm greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister @narendramodi. Value his guidance on ways to further take forward the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership," Jaishankar said in a post on X after the meeting. They also met Prime Minister Wong.
Indian ministers also meet Singapore President
"Delighted to call on Prime Minister @LawrenceWongST of Singapore today morning along with my colleagues @nsitharaman, @PiyushGoyal and @AshwiniVaishnaw. We conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi. Appreciate PM Wong’s continued engagement with the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable," Jaishankar said.
Why is meeting important?
At the ISMR, the four leaders will be joined by their Singaporean counterparts and will review the progress from the first ISMR held in New Delhi in September 2022. The ISMR is being held here ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's likely visit to the city-state next month. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will lead the Singapore delegation.
The Singaporean delegation will also comprise Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng, and Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Chee Hong Tat.
The ISMR is a unique mechanism established to set a new agenda for India-Singapore bilateral relations. The meeting will enable both sides to review various aspects of their strategic partnership and identify new avenues to further elevate and broaden it, the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi said on Saturday.
(With inputs from agency)
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