EAM Jaishankar Meets Singapore's PM Loong, Senior Ministers to Deepen Bilateral Ties

Singapore: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, on Monday, met Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishna and other senior ministers of the city-state to deepen bilateral ties between India and Singapore. The visit came as part of EAM Jaishankar's ongoing three-day Singapore tour during which he not only addressed the Indian diaspora but also met investors. On the final day of his three-day visit which started on Saturday, he met the leadership of Singapore to discuss various issues of mutual interest such as trade and the situation in the Indo-Pacific region.  

“Honoured to call upon Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana. Conveyed the personal greetings of PM Narendra Modi. Valued his perspectives on the current state of the world,” EAM Jaishankar said on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

Earlier in the day, he met Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong with whom, as per EAM Jaishankar's post on X, he discussed “trade, semiconductors, space, green energy, supply chains and defence.”

Next, he met National Security Minister Teo Chee Hean with whom he “exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues,” besides discussing “transformational changes” in India and the opportunities they offer for the partnership between the two nations. 

EAM Jaishankar also met his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishna and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong. With the former, he “reviewed the progress of our bilateral cooperation,” and spoke about preparations for the next iteration of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable. With the latter, he discussed the furtherance of economic ties between the two nations, focusing on “new-age technologies” and also “exchanged views on the evolving global economic situation.”

Finally, before he left, Jaishankar met Singapore's Home Minister K Shanmugam. 

Earlier on Saturday, Jaishankar told Singapore-based investors of opportunities emerging in the manufacturing sector, especially as India embarks on the journey to build a semiconductor-led industry.

On Sunday, the Minister described the strength of the growing relationship with the city-state at an interaction with some 1,500 Indian diaspora at the newly built Quantum Arena, an auditorium built by an Indian-led education group, in association with the Global Indian International School.

Jaishankar will also visit the Philippines and Malaysia.

The March 23-27 visit will focus on enhancing bilateral relations with the three countries, and would provide an opportunity for engagement on regional issues of mutual concern, the Ministry of External Affairs had said before Jaishankar’s departure.

With inputs from PTI.