BUILDING on “new anchors” of partnership identified under the India-Singapore ministerial roundtable framework, the relations between the two countries is poised for an even bigger take-off, the MEA said on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore. Prime Minister Modi is slated to visit Singapore on September 4-5 at the invitation of his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong. Prior to that he is scheduled to visit Brunei on September 3-4 which seeks to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in all existing sectors. Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, at a media briefing here said India and Brunei are working towards setting up a “joint working group in defence”.

 

He said Prime Minister Modi is visiting Singapore after nearly six years. His last visit to Singapore was in his first term. And an early visit on his third term is something that has been “welcomed by the Singaporean side”. “Also, this comes at a time when a new leader is in Singapore and this is an opportune time to set the stage for the next stage of our vibrant bilateral relations,” Mazumdar said.

 

The Secretary (East) said India-Singapore ties have “evolved” and there is a “dynamic strategic partnership” encompassing various areas from shared history and people-to-people ties which form an important link between the two countries. “Our trade and investment flows have shown a steady growth, we have a robust defence cooperation and growing exchanges in culture and education. We have identified new anchors of our partnership under the India-Singapore ministerial roundtable framework,” he said.