PM Narendra Modi is expected to visit Singapore soon to further ameliorate the bilateral relationship between the two countries. The exact dates of his official visit haven’t been announced yet, but according to a senior official the visit is expected to happen shortly. Following a high-level meeting between Singapore and senior ministers from India with the agenda of strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries, Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan suggested a visit by PM Narendra Modi. A four-member Indian delegation consisting of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Railway and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, participated in the second Indian-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) in Singapore.
Mr. Balakrishnan, who desired the meeting as “productive”, said in a statement, “We will soon announce Prime Minister Modi's official visit to Singapore. While I cannot provide an exact date, it will take place shortly.” Both countries extensively explored ways to amplify bilateral cooperation during the multi-ministerial discussions. The scope of improvement was discussed in areas such as digital innovation, sustainability, connectivity, skill development, healthcare, and manufacturing.
Mr. Balakrishnan also emphasized that advanced manufacturing, aviation, semiconductors, and maritime connectivity are the fresh areas added to the agenda of Singapore-India bilateral talks. He further added, “With a nation of over 1.4 billion people undertaking a significant upgrade of its aviation sector, this presents a rare opportunity that occurs once in two or three decades, and it's promising that we are in a prime position to collaborate.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Trade and Industry Minister Gam Kim Yong, Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, and Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, were the ones who represented Singapore at the meeting. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Trade and Industry emphasized in a joint statement that the ministers maintained a strong and long-standing relationship between the two countries, featured by powerful economic and people-to-people connections.
In addition to the link-up between India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and Singapore’s PayNow, which facilitates real-time money transfer between financial institutions, the two countries also bolstered investments in renewable energy, including green ammonia. Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister stated, “I am confident that today's discussions and future ones will lead to even greater collaboration between Singapore and India.”
An official declaration from the Ministry of External Affairs concerning PM Modi’s Singapore visit is still awaited.
