New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a historic visit to Brunei on Tuesday, marking the first visit by an Indian head of state to the island nation, despite 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
After he visits Brunei, PM Modi will travel to Singapore for two days, from September 4 to September 5, where he will meet with Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
Before departing on the two-nation tour, the Prime Minister stated, “Over the next two days, we will visit Brunei Darussalam and Singapore. The various engagements in these nations will focus on further deepening India’s ties with them.”
PM Modi’s visit to Brunei comes at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and aims to bolster bilateral cooperation in defence, trade, energy, and space technology.
Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), mentioned that India and Brunei are progressing towards the establishment of a “joint working group in defence.”
The Prime Minister expressed his anticipation for the visit on Twitter: “India-Brunei Darussalam diplomatic ties complete 40 glorious years. I look forward to meeting His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.”
This trip to Singapore is PM Modi’s first in nearly six years and occurs early in his third term as Prime Minister. The MEA highlighted that the visit is timely, with a new leader in Singapore, presenting a chance to further strengthen bilateral relations.
“New pillars of our partnership have been identified under the India-Singapore ministerial roundtable framework,” Jaideep Mazumdar, MEA, stated during a press briefing.
He observed that the relationship between the two nations has “evolved,” with consistent growth in trade and investment, strong defence cooperation, and expanding cultural and educational exchanges.
Mazumdar noted that the recent India-Singapore ministerial roundtable discussions centred on forward-looking cooperation areas, such as digitization, sustainability, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing. Multiple Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are anticipated to be signed during Modi’s visit, especially in sectors like food security, renewable energy, green hydrogen, and semiconductors.
Singapore stands as India’s foremost trading partner within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and a major source of foreign direct investment (FDI). In the previous financial year, Singapore emerged as the top FDI contributor to India, with investments totalling $11.77 billion.
Prime Minister Modi’s agenda in Singapore includes a participatory session with CEOs and business leaders, with expected discussions on regional matters such as the South China Sea and Myanmar.
Prime Minister Modi’s engagements in these nations are also in line with India’s ‘Act East’ Policy, which seeks to develop and enhance ties with Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
