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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart PM Lawrence Wong condemned terrorism as the most pressing threat to global peace and stability, reaffirming their commitment to combat it in all its forms and manifestations. They also emphasised that there can be no justification for acts of terror.
Notably, PM Modi paid an official visit to Singapore on September 4-5, 2024. The current visit is the fifth visit of PM Modi to Singapore. Recognising that terrorism continues to remain the single most significant threat to peace and stability, the Prime Ministers of both countries reiterated their strong commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. They stressed that there can be no justification for acts of terror on any grounds whatsoever and affirmed their resolve to fight against global terrorism and terror organisations, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. They called for reinvigorating multilateral action on terrorism, including through reiterating the importance of the conclusion of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations at the earliest. They also emphasised the importance of upholding international standards on anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, consistent with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations. Both countries reiterated their commitment to work together in FATF and other multilateral platforms. Lauding the cooperation between both sides at regional and international forums, the Prime Ministers reaffirmed efforts to strengthen cooperation, particularly in the United Nations (UN), World Trade Organization (WTO), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), Commonwealth, and related forums and as well as other regional cooperation mechanisms. Both sides also reaffirmed their commitment to work together to promote peace and stability across the Indo-Pacific region and underlined the importance of an open, inclusive, rules-based, and resilient Indo-Pacific region. They acknowledged India and Singapore's close cooperation on, and support for, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). PM Modi thanked Prime Minister Wong for the warmth of his hospitality and all the excellent arrangements made for the visit. PM Modi conveyed that India is looking forward to the visit of President Tharman Shanmugaratnam to India next year. He also invited PM Wong to visit India at a mutually convenient time. PM Modi and PM Wong acknowledged India and Singapore's shared history, long tradition of friendship based on trust and mutual respect, and extensive cooperation across a wide range of areas. They reviewed and expressed satisfaction over the progress in the bilateral relationship, in the areas of political, economic, security, technology, education, people-to-people and cultural links. It is interesting to note that India and Singapore will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations next year. Against this backdrop, both Prime Ministers agreed to elevate bilateral relations to a higher level of a 'Comprehensive Strategic Partnership', to deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation. (ANI)
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