EAM Jaishankar meets Singapore's top leadership, conveys PM Modi's greetings

Singapore, March 25 (IANS) External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday met top leaders of Singapore and valued their support for the strategic partnership as he conveyed personal greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to them.  

On a three-day visit to Singapore to cement close ties between both nations, he also met leading corporate figures, who spoke of India's growth story, based on investment experiences.

Dr Jaishankar praised Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's "positive sentiments" on the India-Singapore relationship, which he said, "have always been a source of strength for our ties".

"Honoured to call on Prime Minister @leehsienloong at The Istana. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM @narendramodi. Valued his perspectives on the current state of the world," the EAM wrote on X.

He also called on Singapore's Indian-origin Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan with whom he "exchanged views on the Indo-Pacific and West Asia".

"Reviewed the progress of our bilateral cooperation. Spoke about preparations for the next ISMR (India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable) meeting. Discussed marking 60 years of our diplomatic ties," Dr Jaishankar said.

Envisioned by Prime Minister Modi, the first ISMR between the two nations, seeking to "deepen existing cooperation and identifying opportunities for collaboration in new and emerging areas", was held in 2022. Following the inaugural meeting, PM Modi conveyed his appreciation and hoped that initiatives like ISMR would help further strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Dr Jaishankar also met Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong, where perspectives on advancing bilateral ties, especially on new-age technologies, were shared, in addition to views on the evolving global economic situation.

He wrapped up his visit to the Southeast Asian nation after meeting Home Affairs & Law Minister, K Shanmugam, and said that he values the Indian-origin minister's "consistent support for our strategic partnership".

The EAM last visited Singapore in October 2023 to deepen the Strategic Partnership between the two countries, where he met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Foreign Minister Balakrishnan. After concluding the Singapore visit, EAM Jaishankar will be travelling to Malaysia and The Philippines to engage with them on regional issues of mutual concern.

--IANS

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