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Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Singapore on Wednesday, marking the beginning of a significant second leg of his two-day nation visit. He is slated to hold numerous engagements in the city-state on Thursday as well.
This visit is poised to further bolster the bilateral ties between India and Singapore. Sharing a post on his X handle, PM Modi expressed his happiness at meeting his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong. "Happy to have met my friend, PM Lawrence Wong. Had an excellent discussion on a wide range of issues. India cherishes the friendship with Singapore," the post read. Wong also shared a picture of their meeting on X and welcomed PM Modi for dinner at Istana, the official residence and office of the president of Singapore. He said, "Welcome PM Narendra Modi to Singapore! Delighted to have the chance to catch up over a meal at the Istana, before the official meetings tomorrow." On Prime Minister Modi's Singapore visit, MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, sharing a post on X, wrote that the visit will further fortify ties between the two nations. "Fortifying India-Singapore bonds of friendship. PM Narendra Modi warmly hosted by PM Lawrence Wong at the iconic Sri Temasek in Singapore. An evening cherishing the deep and long-standing India-Singapore ties awaits," he said. Prime Minister Modi, who concluded a historic visit to Brunei, was received by the Singaporean Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugham at the Changi airport on Wednesday and received a warm welcome from the Indian community. PM Modi was seen giving autographs to diaspora members outside the hotel. He also tried his hand at playing the dhol there. Sharing from pictures, PM Modi later posted on X and said, "Thank you, Singapore! The welcome was truly vibrant." Before his arrival in Singapore, PM Modi was on an official visit to Brunei. Earlier in the day, he held "wide ranging" talks with Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman in Bandar Seri Begawan. During their talks, both the leaders discussed ways to further cement bilateral ties. On Tuesday, PM Modi inaugurated the new Chancery of the High Commission of India in Brunei's capital city, Bandar Seri Begawan. The Prime Minister also visited the Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan on Tuesday as a part of his historic visit to Brunei. Regarding PM Modi's visit to Singapore, Randhir Jaiswal highlighted the significance of the trip, and said that it will provide a major boost to India's Act East policy, aligning with India's vision for the Indo-Pacific region and further strengthening economic and technological ties between the two countries. Jaiswal, taking to X, said, "This visit is important as it gives a major push to India's Act East policy to India's vision of the Indo-Pacific to India-Singapore economic ties and to India-Singapore technological ties. All these are very important for both countries." PM Modi is set for a busy day in Singapore on Thursday, with a packed schedule of meetings, and engagements. "He has meetings with the Prime Minister of Singapore in the morning, where he will also receive a ceremonial welcome and thereafter, he will have meetings with the President of Singapore and with the Emeritus Senior Minister and several other dignitaries. He will also visit AEM, which is a semiconductor facility, along with the Prime Minister of Singapore. PM also has business engagement; he will be meeting CEOs of Singaporean companies," Jaiswal said, while sharing a post on X. Many MoUs are expected to be signed during the visit. He will also meet with leaders of Singapore's vibrant business community. Notably, India-Singapore relations were elevated to Strategic Partnership during the visit of PM Modi to Singapore in 2015. With shared history, a long tradition of friendship based on trust and mutual respect, and extensive cooperation across a wide range of areas, India-Singapore cooperation has deepened and diversified over the years. The close ties between India and Singapore have a history rooted in strong commercial, cultural and people-to-people links across a millennium. The more modern relationship is attributed to Sir Stamford Raffles, who, in 1819, established a trading station in Singapore on the route of the Straits of Malacca, which later became a crown colony and was governed from Kolkata till 1867. In 2018, India and Singapore added new momentum and direction in the Strategic Partnership, anchored in the official visit of Prime Minister Modi to Singapore from May 31 to June 2, 2018 and his second visit on November 14-15 for attending the ASEAN-India and RCEP and 13th East Asia Summit. PM Modi became the first Indian PM to deliver a keynote address at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue on June 1, 2018. In the November 2018 visit, he also became the first Head of Government to deliver the keynote address at the Singapore Fintech Festival, the world's largest Fintech event. (ANI)
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