PM Modi's Singapore visit will consolidate agenda set during ministerial roundtable, says Indian envoy

Speaking to ANI, Ambule, who formally assumed the role of Indian High Commissioner to Singapore in July last year beginning his diplomatic assignment in the vibrant island nation, termed PM Modi's visit as "a very important visit" as it is happening at the start of Prime Minister's third tenure as well as very during the early phase of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong's tenure.

PM Modi's visit "gives us a good opportunity to set the stage to take our relationships to a newer level and newer heights," he said.

"So that is the whole kind of purpose of this visit early on in the 10 years," the Indian envoy added.

"I will just set the background. We had the India-Singapore ministerial roundtable last week where four ministers on our side, the Finance Minister, Foreign Minister, Commerce Minister, and Mr Ashwini Vaishnaw were present, and there were six ministers from the Singaporean side. So they set the agenda for the relationship, and that is the agenda which will be consolidated now and cemented during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit," Ambule said.

Notably, several areas, including digitization, skills development, sustainability, health, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity, were identified at the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held on August 26.

Noting that trade and investment form an important part of the Prime Minister's visit, the High Commissioner said that new contemporary areas like green technology, sustainability, connectivity, advanced manufacturing, skills and health will be discussed during the visit.

Asked about the impact on trade between the two countries, Ambule said, "If you see the bilateral trade, it's more than doubled in the last 10 years."

"Our intention is to take it even further, we also combine it with investments. Singapore is the largest source of foreign direct investment in India. So, if you take the basket of trade and investment together, they will only grow up and further improve as we go on," he said.

Speaking on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which is an important part of the investment, Ambule said, "We are encouraging more and more Singaporean companies, holding companies, funds, to invest in the emerging sectors in India, like logistics, warehousing, commercial real estate, ports and other areas."

High Commissioner Ambule said that on the front of the bilateral relationship, the two nations are looking for a further boost in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing technology. He added that Singapore has also been a pillar of India's engagement with ASEAN nations.

"I will tell you the outcomes from two aspects. One is the bilateral relationship. We are actually setting the relationship up for a further boost in the new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing technology. We have a lot to learn from Singapore in terms of skills. So, they are helping us in our skilling initiatives. In terms of the region, Singapore has been a pillar of our kind of engagement in the ASEAN countries. Singapore has helped us to get into this region, into the East Asia Summit, and it tells well with our Indo-Pacific strategy," the High Commissioner mentioned it categorically," Ambule said.

He added, "This is also the 10th year of our (India-Singapore) strategic partnership, so we are looking at enhancing the level of cooperation and engagement and diversifying the fields of cooperation to include areas of advanced technology, manufacturing, green growth and sustainability."

The envoy said both Singapore and India are attaching a lot of significance to the visit, which is taking place very early on in Prime Minister Modi's third tenure.

"So it gives both leaders ample opportunity to discuss as to how they want to take the relationship forward in the next decade," he said.

Prime Minister Modi is expected to arrive in Singapore by September 4 evening following his visit to Brunei. During his visit, he is expected to sign several memorandums (MoUs) during his visit to the country.

During his visit to the city-state, PM Modi will call on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and meet with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. He will also meet with leaders of Singapore's vibrant business community.

" I will also engage in discussions to deepen India's strategic partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development," PM Modi said before leaving for the two-nation visit.

PM Modi termed both Brunei and Singapore important partners in India's Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision. (ANI)