Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his Singapore visit on Thursday, and emplaned for New Delhi following an outcome-oriented visit to the city-state.
"A successful visit concludes! PM @narendramodi emplanes for New Delhi after an outcome oriented visit to Singapore," the official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, said, sharing a post on X.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi said that he had a fruitful visit to Singapore. He said that it will not only bolster India's ties with Singapore but also benefit the people of both nations.
"My visit to Singapore has been a very fruitful one. It will certainly add vigour to bilateral ties and benefit the people of our nations. I thank the government and people of Singapore for their warmth," PM Modi wrote on X.
India and Singapore also elevated their bilateral relations to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership on Thursday.
Prime Minister Modi and Singapore PM Lawrence Wong met at the Parliament House in Singapore. The two leaders, along with their delegations, held the bilateral meeting. At their talks, both leaders reviewed the progress of India-Singapore bilateral relations.
Following this, the two sides exchanged four MoUs in the areas of digital technology, semiconductors, skill development, and healthcare.
Prime Minister Modi invited PM Lawrence Wong to visit India, which he accepted.
PM Modi, also visited the semiconductor facility of AEM Holdings Ltd. Singapore's PM Lawrence Wong accompanied PM Modi during his visit to the semiconductor facility.
PM Modi invited Singapore's semiconductor companies to participate in the SEMICON INDIA exhibition set to be held in Greater Noida from September 11-13.
"It was wonderful to interact with interns from Odisha's World Skill Center who are visiting Singapore and interns from Singapore who have been to India as a part of the CII-Enterprise Singapore India Ready Talent Programme. I also met a team of Indian engineers working at AEM Holdings. Such cooperation is indeed special and celebrates human talent as well as innovation," PM Modi stated after visiting the facility.
The Prime Minister also called on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Thursday and held talks that focused on key sectors including skill development, sustainability, technology, innovation, and connectivity.
The talks between the two leaders focused on the full range of bilateral ties between India and Singapore.
Sharing a post of the meeting with Shanmugaratnam, PM Modi wrote, "Had a very good meeting with Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the President of Singapore. Our talks focused on the full range of bilateral ties between our nations." Both PM Modi, and Tharman discussed bilateral and global issues of mutual interest during the talks.
Shanmugaratnam, is an Indian-origin economist and civil servant, who became Singapore's President last year. He served mainly at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, before joining politics in 2001. He has also served as Minister for Education and Finance and was Deputy Prime Minister from 2011 to 2019.
The two leaders also shared thoughts on how India and Singapore can expand their cooperation to new areas such as advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.
Before his visit to Singapore, PM Modi was on an official visit to Brunei.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi 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.
In a post on X, PM Modi stated, "Delighted to meet His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Our talks were wide ranging and included ways to further cement bilateral ties between our nations. We are going to further expand trade ties, commercial linkages and people-to-people exchanges." 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 Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque in Bandar Seri Begawan on Tuesday, as a part of his historic visit to Brunei. Brunei's Minister of Religious Affairs Pehin Dato Ustaz Haji Awang Badaruddin received him at Mosque and Brunei's Minister of Health Dato Haji Mohammad Isham was also present, according to a statement by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
A Ministry of External Affairs release said that Brunei is an important partner in India's 'Act East' Policy and Indo-Pacific Vision.
It said India and Brunei enjoy a friendly relationship that is marked by mutual respect and understanding on bilateral and multilateral issues. The two countries are linked by history, culture and tradition spanning a millennium.
This was the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei. The historic visit of the Prime Minister coincided with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Brunei.
During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in bilateral discussions on all aspects of bilateral relations and cooperation with Brunei leadership and explored new areas of collaboration.
