Singapore, September 5 (HBTV): India and Singapore elevated their bilateral relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, on Thursday, during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Prime Minister Modi and Singapore PM Lawrence Wong met at the Parliament House in Singapore on Thursday. The two leaders, along with their delegations, held the bilateral meeting. 

Following this, the two sides exchanged four MoUs in the areas of digital technology, semiconductor, skill development and healthcare. 

Prime Minister Modi invited PM Lawrence Wong to visit India, which he accepted.

At their talks, both leaders reviewed the progress of India - Singapore bilateral relations. 

"Given the breadth and depth of bilateral ties and immense potential, they decided to elevate the relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. This would also give a major boost to India's Act East Policy," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.  

Taking stock of the robust progress in economic ties, the leaders called for further expanding trade and investment flows between the two countries. 

Prime Minister highlighted that Singapore, with an investment of around USD 160 billion in the Indian economy, is a leading economic partner for India. He further noted that rapid and sustained growth in India has opened up immense investment opportunities for Singaporean entities. 

The two leaders also reviewed existing cooperation in the fields of defence and security, maritime domain awareness, education, AI, Fintech, new technology domains, science and technology, and knowledge partnership. They further called for strengthening connectivity between the countries to enhance economic and people-to-people ties. They also called for acceleration in green corridor projects.               

PM Modi and PM Wong also discussed the outcome of the 2nd India - Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held in Singapore in August 2024. 

"Noting that the Ministerial Roundtable is a unique mechanism, the leaders appreciated the work done by senior ministers from both sides in deliberating and identifying a new agenda for bilateral cooperation. The leaders called for accelerated action under the pillars of cooperation identified during the Ministerial Roundtables - Advanced Manufacturing, Connectivity, Digitalisation, Healthcare & Medicine, Skills Development and Sustainability," the release stated. 

The leaders underscored that the cooperation under these pillars, particularly in the areas of semiconductors and critical and emerging technologies, opens a new chapter in bilateral relations, making our ties future-orientated. 

The discussion also covered celebration of 60th anniversary of bilateral relations in 2025. Highlighting that cultural connect between the two countries is an important component of these ties, Prime Minister announced that India's first Thiruvalluvar Cultural Centre would be opened in Singapore, the release added.

The leaders also exchanged views on important regional and global issues of mutual interest, including India - ASEAN relations and India's vision for the Indo-Pacific. 

Terming Singapore an "important anchor" of India's Act East Policy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appreciated the elevation of ties. 

He further emphasised that the two nations are connected by shared belief in democratic value, and also appreciated the increased cooperation in the field of skilling, defence, connectivity. 

Taking to social media platform X, PM Modi stated, "The discussions with my friend, PM Lawrence Wong continued today. Our talks focused on boosting cooperation in areas like skilling, technology, healthcare, AI and more. We both agreed on the need to boost trade relations."

Speaking at the meeting, PM Modi, "Singapore is also an important anchor of our Act East policy. Shared belief in democratic values connects us to each other. I am happy that I have got the opportunity to visit Singapore at the beginning of my third term." 

(ANI)