PM Modi meets counterpart Lawrence Wong at iconic Sri Temasek in Singapore

Singapore, Sep 4 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Singapore PM Lawrence Wong at the historic Sri Temasek bungalow - the official residence of the Singaporean Prime Minister - for a "private dinner" on Wednesday, a few hours after his arrival in the country on the final leg of his two-nation tour.

The ongoing visit at the invitation of Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong is PM Modi's fifth visit to Singapore. He had last visited the country in 2018.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Modi will receive an official welcome at the Parliament House, call on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and meet Prime Minister Wong. PM Modi will also meet Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Following the bilaterals, the PM is scheduled to participate in a business roundtable with Singaporean business leaders organised by the Singapore Business Federation, interact with Singapore's semiconductor ecosystem players, and engage students from Singapore in the India Ready Talent Programme who did internships in India, and the Odisha World Skills Center interns in Singapore companies.

PM Modi arrived in Singapore Wednesday afternoon after wrapping up a historic two-day trip to Brunei, the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to the southeast Asian nation.

Upon his arrival in Singapore, PM Modi was received by Singapore's Minister of Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam.

At the hotel, members of the Indian diaspora gave a rousing welcome to the Prime Minister with traditional Maharashtrian dance and drums.

Adding to the excitement of those present at the venue, including several children, PM Modi also tried his hand at the dhol.

Expressing his enthusiasm, PM Modi shared on X, "Landed in Singapore. Looking forward to the various meetings aimed at boosting the India-Singapore friendship. India's reforms and the talent of our Yuva Shakti make our nation an ideal investment destination. We also look forward to closer cultural ties."

During his stay, PM Modi will participate in several meetings aimed at further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The discussions are also expected to focus on deepening cultural connections and fostering stronger people-to-people ties.

Key areas of enhanced cooperation under consideration include digital innovation, skill development, sustainability, healthcare, connectivity, and advanced manufacturing.

"I look forward to the opportunity to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. I will also meet with leaders of Singapore's vibrant business community. ​I look forward to my discussions to deepen our Strategic Partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development," said PM Modi in his departure statement on Tuesday.

Last week, a high-level Indian delegation, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, had participated in the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) held in Singapore.

PM Modi's visit is expected to further enhance the relationship between India and Singapore, emphasising both economic and cultural collaboration.

"Singapore is India's largest trade partner in ASEAN and it is a leading source of foreign direct investment. Singapore is India's sixth largest trade partner worldwide and the largest source of FDI during the last financial year. Investments have also been very large since 2000 till now we have had cumulative FDI of about 160 billion US dollars. There will be an interaction with business leaders during Prime Minister's visit and this will be an important element of the visit as the CEOs will be listening to India's growth story first hand from the Prime Minister and the opportunities that it presents for them," said Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary East at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) before PM left for the two-nation visit.

--IANS

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