PM Modi Singapore visit: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has departed for the second leg of his two-nation visit to Singapore after concluding his bilateral visit to Brunei Darussalam, the first-ever by an Indian leader. He is expected to hold talks with the top leadership of Singapore and review the Strategic Partnership that was established in 2015.
"My visit to Brunei Darussalam was productive. It ushers in a new era of even stronger India-Brunei ties. Our friendship will contribute to a better planet. I am grateful to the people and Government of Brunei for their hospitality and affection," said the PM on X.
During his visit, the prime Minister will call on Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and interact with the Singaporean leadership. He will also meet business leaders from Singapore. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this visit will strengthen India's cooperation with Singapore both bilaterally and within the regional and multilateral frameworks.
PM Modi's visit comes ahead of the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership. It follows a high-level meeting between senior ministers of both countries, including Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal. "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.
India-Singapore relations
India and Singapore established diplomatic relations in 1965 and share warm and friendly relations with robust ties in trade and investment, economic cooperation, defence, maritime security, energy and more. The India-Singapore relations were elevated to Strategic Partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Singapore in 2015. Singapore also houses a large Indian diaspora (3.5 lakh), becoming one of the biggest ethnic minorities there.
"I will also engage in discussions to deepen India's strategic partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development," PM Modi said before leaving for the two-nation visit on Tuesday. This would be the Prime Minister's first visit to Singapore in nearly six years.
Singapore has become a crucial partner of India's Act East policy and is the largest trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), with $35.6 billion in 2023-24 and also provides foreign direct investment (FDI) of $11.77 billion, the largest in the region. About 9,000 Indian companies are registered in Singapore.
In an exclusive interview with The Straits Times, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said Singapore should fully utilise the new landscape as India has accelerated national growth and modernisation in the last decade. "Beyond the bilateral, there is also the issue of closer collaboration in a volatile and uncertain world. In this regard, we must recognise that ours is a partnership based on a high degree of trust and understanding... Prime Minister Modi has always had a special sentiment for Singapore and that leadership connect will matter more than ever before," he said.
PM Modi's historic visit to Brunei
The Prime Minister's visit to Singapore comes after his busy schedule in Brunei, from unveiling an Indian High Commission to visiting a mosque. The PM announced that the ties between India and Brunei have been elevated to an enhanced partnership after holding talks with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah on Wednesday. The leaders held bilateral talks covering a range of topics including defence, trade and investment, food security, education, energy, space technology, health, capacity building, culture as well as people-to-people exchanges.
He held talks with the country's top leadership on Wednesday. PM Modi was accorded a warm welcome by Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah and later inaugurated the new chancery premises of the Indian High Commission in Brunei, terming it as indicative of stronger ties between the two countries. Modi also interacted with the members of the vibrant Indian diaspora in Brunei who were part of the ceremony, appreciating their contribution as a "living bridge" between the two countries and strengthening bilateral ties. He also visited Brunei's iconic Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque built by the father of the current Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
