India and Singapore today signed ten bilateral agreements, including a joint declaration on ‘strategic partnership’, and pacts for enhanced cooperation in areas like defence, cyber security and civil aviation, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong and President of Singapore Tony Tan Keng Yam.
On the second day of his two-day visit, Modi called on the Singapore President after a ceremonial welcome was accorded to him this morning. Later, he held official talks with his Singaporean counterpart.
Bilateral pacts were also signed for greater cooperation in areas like urban development and cultural exchange.
The Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson, Vikas Swarup, later tweeted that ten bilateral documents were signed across sectors, showing “a large bandwidth of cooperation’’.
These included joint declaration on strategic partnership to defence, cyber security, shipping, culture, and the agreements showcase strength of bilateral ties, Swarup tweeted.
The two Prime Ministers also released commemorative stamps on Rashtrapati Bhawan and Istana (the official residence and office of the President of Singapore).
Modi, who arrived here last evening and addressed the prestigious Singapore Lecture, held a breakfast meeting with the prominent citizens of Singapore earlier today.
Later, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong called on Modi. In his lecture yesterday, Modi talked about the contributions made by Tong, who was Singapore’s second Prime Minister, towards strong ties between India and Singapore.
On the political and security side, the joint statement talked about continued high-level exchanges and expanding defence, maritime and security cooperation.
Both Prime Ministers also noted the importance of culture in India-Singapore ties and encouraging more exhibition exchanges and interactions.
They also stressed on their shared interest for further cooperation in science and technology, space, biomedicine and ayurveda.
Five Focal Areas
The Five Focal Areas laid down would continue to be priority for economic cooperation. These include scaling up of trade and investment, speeding up air and maritime connectivity and coastal development, smart city development and urban rejuvenation, skills development and capacity building.
In the joint statement, Loong also reaffirmed Singapore’s continuing support for India as a permanent member in a reformed UNSC, while the two leaders acknowledged the importance of increased cooperation in multilateral and regional fora, including ASEAN, the UN and WTO.