Third India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable to convene in Delhi tomorrow

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The third round of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) will take place in New Delhi on Wednesday, aiming to further expand and deepen the bilateral relationship between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.

The high-level discussions come ahead of the possible visit of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to India next month, according to media reports.

Representing India at the talks will be External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Minister of Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.

They will be joined by six ministers from Singapore -- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong will lead the delegation, accompanied by Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, and Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

India and Singapore elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the island nation last year.

The ISMR, envisioned by PM Modi, is described by the MEA as a unique platform for shaping a forward-looking agenda for India–Singapore cooperation.

The inaugural meeting was held in New Delhi in September 2022, followed by the second round in Singapore in August 2024. The third edition is expected to identify fresh opportunities to further strengthen the partnership.

In January this year, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited India for high-level engagements. During his visit, he met with EAM Jaishankar to discuss bilateral collaboration in areas such as semiconductors, industrial parks, skilling, digitalisation, and trade development.

He also held talks with Prime Minister Modi, focusing on "futuristic sectors" to enhance cooperation between the two nations.

--IANS

int/sd/