New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his visit to Singapore, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday that it is the right time for the two countries to take their bilateral relationship to the next level. "Given the transformation underway in India and the changes in the world, they need to become more contemporary. In many ways, that is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to visit Singapore so early in his third term," The Straits Times quoted Jaishankar as saying in an interview. He said that India and Singapore's bilateral ties "have been extremely strong in the last two decades."
Singapore had pivotal opportunities in 1992 and again in 2006, and it should seize the moment now to fully capitalise on the evolving landscape," Jaishankar remarked. "To be frank, I sometimes feel that perceptions on your end are somewhat outdated. In India, we are leveraging the achievements of the past decade as a springboard to drive rapid national growth and modernisation," the External Affairs Minister added.
"Beyond the bilateral ties, there is also the issue of closer collaboration in a volatile and uncertain world. "In this regard, we must recognise that ours is a partnership based on a high degree of trust and understanding," the Union External Affairs Minister added.
"These characteristics enable us to share assessments and explore our convergences," Jaishankar added. The Prime Minister has always had a special sentiment for Singapore and that leadership connection will matter more than ever before, noted Jaishankar, who has served as India's High Commissioner to Singapore and has a very good understanding of the city-state.
In response to a question about where India would like to take the India-Singapore bilateral relationship, EAM Jaishankar said, "We have come a long way since then. As I pointed out, the time is ripe to move to the next level of our ties, reflecting current realities in both countries and the state of the world."
He said, "We feel that the contributions of our community are more strongly recognised (in the Gulf). Both the economic and demographic complementarities are today coming into much greater play. “But because of this, I would not draw any conclusions regarding Asean. Our ties have deepened as well in this very period.” Jaishankar underscored the fact that India--the most populous country and currently the fifth-largest economy--will necessarily have multi-directional engagements. The world is not a zero-sum game for us."
Jaishankar pointed out that Singapore, which was at the core of our ‘Look East’ policy, has an equally central role in the ‘Act East’ policy as well. "If you look at the new domains that reflect this evolution, Singapore’s partnership in security, connectivity, technology and sustainability is evident.” The ‘Act East’ policy is certainly very active for a variety of reasons, he stressed, adding that Southeast Asia itself has much-untapped potential and its demographics and growth prospects make it a long-term partner," added the External Affairs Minister.
“Imagine for example what a change the Trilateral Highway (plan to connect India with Myanmar and Thailand) can make when completed. It is also a relationship, which is indispensable for India’s Indo-Pacific engagement. I would confidently predict a bright future. Modi will travel to Singapore on Wednesday. He said he looked forward to meeting President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in Singapore. Modi will also meet leaders of Singapore’s business community," said Jaishankar.
Prime Minister Modi is visiting Singapore after six years and the visit is taking place at the time when a new leader in Singapore, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, has just taken over and this is an opportune time to set the stage for the vibrant bilateral relationship, Secretary (East) MEA Jaideep Mazumdar said on Monday.
"Our ties have evolved and we have a dynamic strategic partnership encompassing diverse areas from our shared history and people-to-people ties, which is an important link between us. Our trade and investment flows have shown steady growth, we have robust defence cooperation and growing exchanges in culture and education and we have identified new anchors of our partnership under the India-Singapore Ministerial Round Table framework. The visit will also take place in light of our 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations, which we are celebrating in 2025 and the 10th year of our strategic partnership with Singapore", Secretary East said.
