PM Modi Arrives In Singapore On Two-day Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday arrived in Singapore for a two-day visit. He is in the island nation at the invitation of his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong.

Upon his arrival at the Changai airport from Brunei, he was welcomed by the Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Shilpak Ambule and Singapore's High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong among other officials.

During his visit, PM Modi and Lawrence Wong will review the progress of the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

PM Modi will call on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and interact with Singaporean leadership. He will also meet with business leaders from Singapore. Before his visit to Singapore, PM Modi was on an official visit to Brunei.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi held "wide-ranging" talks with Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan. During their talks, both leaders discussed ways to further cement bilateral ties.

In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "Delighted to meet His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Our talks were wide-ranging and included ways to further cement bilateral ties between our nations. We are going to further expand trade ties, commercial linkages and people-to-people exchanges."

On Tuesday, PM Modi inaugurated the new Chancery of the High Commission of India, in Brunei's capital city Bandar Seri Begawan. The chancery complex embodies a profound sense of Indianness, masterfully integrating traditional motifs and lush tree plantations.

The Prime Minister also visited Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan on Tuesday, as a part of his historic visit to Brunei. Brunei's Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Dato Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin received him at Mosque and Brunei's Minister of Health Dato Haji Mohammad Isham was also present, according to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

On PM Modi's visit to Brunei, Secretary East, Ministry of External Affairs Jaideep Mazumdar on Wednesday stated, "Today, ahead of the talks, he was received at the Royal Palace by His Majesty, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and they had detailed discussions on how to take the bilateral relations forward and they covered a wide area of defence, trade and investment, space, energy, health, culture and people to people relations."

"It is a matter of happiness that Brunei is going to start direct flights to India from Bandar Sari Begawan to Chennai are planned for later this year. Also, they discussed emerging areas of bilateral cooperation such as FinTech, digital technology, digital payment systems as well as renewable energy," he added.

He stated that PM Modi and Brunei Sultan discussed ASEAN-related matters as well as regional and international matters.

Calling space an important area of bilateral cooperation, the MEA Secretary stated, "Space has traditionally been an important area of bilateral cooperation. India's telemetry tracking and command station is located in Brunei and both sides signed an MoU to take this relationship further forward."

"They also discussed regional and international matters, as also ASEAN-related matters, which are central to India's Act-East policy and our vision for the Indo-Pacific. A joint statement was issued that elevated the relationship to an enhanced partnership. His Majesty hosted a lunch for the Prime Minister," he added.

He said that PM Modi was on a "historic visit" to Brunei and noted that it was the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to Brunei and coincides with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations. (ANI)