S Jaishankar to meet top Singaporean leadership to strengthen bilateral ties

Singapore: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will meet Singapore's newly-elected President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other senior leaders and review bilateral cooperation and explore opportunities for further collaboration, the foreign ministry said here.

Jaishankar will visit Singapore from October 19 to 21, the ministry said in a statement.

“Jaishankar’s visit reaffirms the close and longstanding ties between Singapore and India, which are built on a strong foundation of strategic trust,” the Singapore Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the visit, Jaishankar will call on President Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong, and Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean. Tharman assumed office as Singapore's president on September 14.

Jaishankar will also meet Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, the Ministry said.

"The visit will be an opportunity for both sides to review our bilateral cooperation, explore collaboration in emerging areas including digitalisation and skills development under the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, and exchange views on regional and global developments," it said.

While in Singapore, Jaishankar will also chair the regional conference of Indian Heads of Missions, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement in New Delhi earlier this week.