Jaishankar, Singapore Trade Minister Gan Kim Yong Hold Discussions On New Domains Of Cooperation

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday held a meeting with Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong. The discussions between the two leaders centred around new domains of cooperation with long-term implications.

Taking to X, Jaishankar stated, "Nice to meet Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong today morning. Our discussions centered around new domains of cooperation with long-term implications. Looking forward to developing these ideas at the ISMR meeting."

India and Singapore enjoy a historical relationship that was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2015. In 2023, both sides had several Ministerial interactions on the sidelines of the G20 held under India's Presidency, for which Singapore was invited as a guest country, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) press release.

During his visit, Jaishankar will meet his Singaporean counterpart and the top leadership of the country. He will also chair the regional conference of Indian Heads of Missions.

On Thursday, he also chaired the regional conference of ASEAN and East Asia Ambassadors in Singapore and discussions were held regarding the regional situation and its potential ramifications for India. Jaishankar is on an official visit to Singapore from 19 to 20 October.

"Chaired the regional conference of our ASEAN and East Asia Ambassadors today in Singapore. Our deliberations took stock of developments in the region and assessed their implications for India. Insights offered by our ambassadors are valuable inputs into policymaking," Jaishankar posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Notably, the ties between India and Singapore are based on shared values and approaches, economic opportunities and convergence of interests on key issues. Both nations are members of a number of forums, including the East Asia Summit, G20, Commonwealth, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS)

Earlier in February, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das and Monetary Authority of Singapore's Managing Director Ravi Menon officially launched the link between India's UPI and Singapore's PayNow was officially launched in the presence of PM Narendra Modi and Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.

Previously, Jaishankar was on an official visit to Vietnam from 15 to 18 October at the invitation of Vietnam's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son. During his visit, EAM Jaishankar called on Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and also held discussions with the Chairman of the External Relations Commission of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Hoai Trung.

The two Ministers co-chaired the 18th India-Vietnam Joint Commission Meeting on economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation and reviewed progress on the India-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership including bilateral cooperation in various fields. (ANI)