Singapore: Singapore and India on Thursday elevated their bilateral ties to a "comprehensive strategic partnership" and signed four MoUs, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi held talks with his counterpart Lawrence Wong. During his opening remarks, Modi said Singapore is not only a partner nation but it is an inspiration for every developing country.
"A new chapter in - ties: Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established. PM @narendramodi and PM @LawrenceWongST held a productive meeting in Singapore today," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X after the meeting.
"The leaders agreed to elevate the - ties to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They extensively reviewed various facets of the bilateral relationship covering areas of Advanced Manufacturing, Connectivity, Digitalisation, Healthcare & Medicine, Skills Development and Sustainability," he said. Modi in his opening remarks thanked Wong for the warm welcome.
"This is our first meeting after you assumed the post of premier. Many congratulations to you from my side. I am confident that under the leadership of 4G (the fourth-generation leaders), Singapore will progress even faster," Modi said.
"We also want to create many Singapores in India and I am happy that we are working together in this direction. The ministerial roundtable that has been formed between us is a path-breaking mechanism."
He said the partnership between the two nations in skilling digitalisation, mobility, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, Artificial intelligence (AI), healthcare, sustainability and cyber security has become an identity of this mechanism.
Modi is here on a two-day visit at the invitation of Wong, a first-general politician who succeeded Lee Hsien Loong as prime minister in May this year. Ahead of the talks with Wong, Modi received a red-carpet welcome at the Singapore Parliament House. He also signed the visitor's book there. The meeting between the two leaders comes months after Wong took over as premier and Modi began his third term as prime minister.
The two leaders also oversaw the exchange of four MoUs after the talks. Later in the day, Prime Minister Modi will also call on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam. He would call on Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Lee will host a lunch for Modi.
Modi will also meet with Singaporean business leaders and interact with those in the country's semiconductor ecosystem. Modi and Wong will also visit a semiconductor manufacturing facility.
Modi flew to Singapore on Wednesday after wrapping his visit to Brunei, the first bilateral visit there by an Indian prime minister. He was accorded a warm welcome by the Indian community on his arrival here.
