PM Lee reaffirms excellent Singapore-India ties

SINGAPORE - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has reaffirmed the excellent and multi-faceted relations between Singapore and India and noted that bilateral ties are underpinned by high-level and regular political engagement between the two governments.

The reaffirmation took place during his meeting with India’s Minister of External Affairs, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, at the Istana today (Aug 16). Mr Lee noted that business and trade linkages are increasingly robust and that both sides are actively exploring new areas of collaboration, said Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in a statement.

Mr Lee also welcomed India’s strategic partnership with ASEAN and encouraged India to continue to play an active and constructive role in the region and support ASEAN’s centrality in the various regional mechanisms.

Mrs Swaraj, who is in Singapore on an introductory visit from August 15-16, also met Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong at the Istana. They exchanged views on recent developments in India and the Asia-Pacific region, said MFA. ESM Goh also informed Mrs Swaraj that he would be making a working visit to India in September and said that he looks forward to meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K Shanmugam hosted Mrs Swaraj to lunch. They expressed satisfaction with the strengthening cooperation between the two countries, said MFA. They also reaffirmed the commitment of the two governments to elevate the state of bilateral relations and to build a closer and mutually beneficial partnership between India and Singapore.

Both foreign ministers will on Saturday evening inaugurate a series of commemorative activities to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of India-Singapore diplomatic relations at a cultural performance at the University Cultural Centre of the National University of Singapore. CHANNEL NEWSASIA