The second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) was held in Singapore on Monday.
The Indian side was represented by four top ministers in the Modi government: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The delegation from Singapore was led by Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Gan Kim Yong.
During the meeting, the two sides emphasised ways of further enhancing cooperation between India and Singapore in emerging and futuristic areas. Both sides deliberated upon six pillars identified under ISMR, which include digitalisation, skill development, sustainability, healthcare and medicine, and advanced manufacturing and connectivity.
The two sides also discussed plans for commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between India and Singapore, alongside regional and global cooperation, including ASEAN and G20 developments.
They noted that the discussions during the first round of ISMR have resulted in the successful conclusion of MoUs on healthcare, education, skill development, digital cooperation and semiconductor ecosystem cooperation.
Earlier, the Indian ministers called on Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and discussed ways to further take forward the bilateral strategic partnership.
”Honoured to jointly call on President @Tharman_S of Singapore. Conveyed the warm greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister @narendramodi. Value his guidance on ways to further take forward the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership,” Mr Jaishankar said in a post on X after the meeting. They also met Prime Minister Wong.