New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to embark on official visits to Brunei and Singapore starting Tuesday. During his visit to Brunei on September 3-4, at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, he will focus on enhancing cooperation across all existing sectors between the two nations. The trip will be the first bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Brunei and coincides with the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Brunei.
Regarding Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Brunei, Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) at the Ministry of External Affairs, stated that the prime minister will engage in bilateral discussions covering all aspects of relations and cooperation with Brunei.
PM’s Brunei visit
Mazumdar said that India and Brunei enjoy a warm and friendly relationship, with multifaceted engagements spanning defence, trade, investment, energy, space technology, healthcare, capacity building, cultural exchanges and robust people-to-people ties. Mazumdar also said the valuable contributions of India’s 14,000-strong diaspora in Brunei, comprising accomplished professionals, including doctors and teachers, who have earned esteem and goodwill in the country.
The MEA official also said that Brunei is a significant partner in India’s ‘Act East Policy’ and aligns with India’s vision for the Indo-Pacific region. The MEA official said that this year’s milestone marking a decade of India’s Act East policy lends added significance to the visit. He said that Brunei’s pivotal role as India’s Country Coordinator in ASEAN from 2012 to 2015, facilitating enhanced engagements with ASEAN, a partnership that endures to this day.
Following his visit to Brunei, Prime Minister Modi will travel to Singapore on September 4-5 at the invitation of his Singaporean counterpart, Lawrence Wong. This marks his first visit to Singapore in nearly six years.
PM’s Singapore visit
During the visit, the prime minister is scheduled to meet with Singapore’s President, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, and engage with the country’s leadership. He will also hold discussions with business leaders from Singapore, according to a statement from the Ministry of External Affairs.
Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar said that India’s bilateral relations with Singapore are characterised by steady growth in trade and investment, strong defence cooperation and flourishing cultural and educational exchanges. He said that the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable framework has facilitated the identification of new areas of cooperation. During the visit, a key engagement will be a meeting with Singaporean CEOs and business leaders.