Singapore, Sep 3 (PTI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s arrival on an official visit to Singapore, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (September 3, 2024) said the time is ripe for the two countries to take their bilateral relationship to the next level.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the transformation underway in India and the changes in the world, they need to become more contemporary. In many ways, that is why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to visit Singapore so early in his third term,\u201d The Straits Times quoted Mr. Jaishankar as saying in an interview.<\/p>\n
He said that India and Singapore\u2019s bilateral ties \u201chave been extremely strong in the last two decades\u201d.
\nJust like Singapore had an opportunity in 1992 and then again in 2006, it should seize the moment and fully utilise the new landscape, the Minister said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, to be honest, I feel that impressions at your end are somewhat dated,\u201d Mr. Jaishankar pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn India, we are using the achievements of the last decade as the springboard to accelerate national growth and modernisation,\u201d the Minister said.
\nBeyond the bilateral ties, there is also the issue of closer collaboration in a volatile and uncertain world. \u201cIn this regard, we must recognise that ours is a partnership based on a high degree of trust and understanding,\u201d the Minister said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese characteristics enable us to share assessments and explore our convergences,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister has always had a special sentiment for Singapore and that leadership connect will matter more than ever before, underscored Mr. Jaishankar who has served as India\u2019s High Commissioner to Singapore and has a very good understanding of the city-state.
\nResponding to a question as to where India would like to take the bilateral relationship, the Minister said, \u201cWe have come a long way since then. As I pointed out, the time is ripe to move to the next level of our ties, reflecting current realities in both countries, as well as the state of the world.\u201d Where Singapore\u2019s approach to India is concerned, it could start with the appreciation of the last decade of growth, recovery from Covid and the country\u2019s rapid digitalisation, while also taking into account the advances in infrastructure, the focus on manufacturing and the availability of talent, the Minister said.<\/p>\n
These issues were also discussed at the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable last week \u2014 a preparatory to PM Modi\u2019s visit to the city-state.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would particularly single out those technologies promising for the future such as semiconductors, green technologies and electric mobility. We also need to collaboratively think about the future of connectivity and energy flows,\u201d Mr. Jaishankar stressed.<\/p>\n
The Minister also drew on the Covid experience to flag India\u2019s relevance to food and health security, saying: \u201cAs regards the global scenario, we have built on the \u2018Act East\u2019 policy to now have a full-fledged Indo-Pacific commitment.\u201d Mr. Jaishankar said there is a new equilibrium in the making and India will certainly play its part. \u201cThis is very much in the interest of Singapore and ASEAN.\u201d \u201cIn an era where we will witness deficits in regard to global commons, our relationship can make a bigger difference,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Minister also commented on a perception that India\u2019s principal focus in its extended neighbourhood is now the Gulf, not ASEAN. \u201cI would not take an \u2018either-or\u2019 approach. Certainly, in the last decade, India\u2019s ties with Gulf nations have really taken off.\u201d \u201cEarlier governments used to view them more narrowly from the perspective of trade, energy and diaspora. In contrast, the Modi government\u2019s policies have extended to investments, technology, security and connectivity,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe definitely feel that the contributions of our community are more strongly recognised [in the Gulf]. Both the economic and demographic complementarities are today coming into much greater play.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut because of this, I would not draw any conclusions in regard to Asean. In fact, our ties have deepened as well in this very period.\u201d Mr. Jaishankar underscored the fact that India \u2014 the most populous country and currently the fifth-largest economy \u2014 will necessarily have multi-directional engagements. \u201cThe world is not a zero-sum game for us.\u201d The Minister also elaborated on Singapore being once the springboard of India\u2019s \u2018Look East\u2019 policy.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, Singapore, which was at the core of our \u2018Look East\u2019 policy, has an equally central role in the \u2018Act East\u2019 policy as well. If you look at the new domains that reflect this evolution, Singapore\u2019s partnership in security, connectivity, technology and sustainability is evident.\u201d The \u2018Act East\u2019 policy is certainly very active for a variety of reasons, he stressed, adding that Southeast Asia itself has much-untapped potential and its demographics and growth prospects make it a long-term partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cImagine for example what a change the Trilateral Highway [plan to connect India with Myanmar and Thailand] can make when completed,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is also a relationship which is indispensable for India\u2019s Indo-Pacific engagement. I would confidently predict a bright future.<\/p>\n
PM Modi will travel to Singapore on Wednesday (September 4, 2024).<\/p>\n
He said he looked forward to meeting President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in Singapore.<\/p>\n
PM Modi will also meet leaders of Singapore\u2019s business community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Singapore, Sep 3 (PTI): Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s arrival on an official visit to Singapore, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Tuesday (September 3, 2024) said the time is ripe for the two countries to take their bilateral relationship to the next level. \u201cGiven the transformation underway in India and the changes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-247755","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-national"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247755\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arunachaltimes.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}