India, Singapore sign joint declaration on strategic partnership

Singapore: India and Singapore on Tuesday signed a joint declaration on strategic partnership besides signing 10 agreements cutting across various sectors, giving a boost to bilateral ties.

“From the Jt Declaratn on Strategic Partnership to Defence, Cyber Security, Shipping, Culture, the Agreements showcase strength of b/l ties,” Vikas Swarup, spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, tweeted.

“A large bandwidth of coopn. 10 bilateral documents signed between #IndiaSingapore cutting across sectors,” he added.

The documents were signed following bilateral talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong here.

According to Swarup, the two prime ministers noted the importance of culture between the two countries and encouraged more exhibitions, exchanges and interactions.

Modi and Lee noted their shared interest in furthering cooperation in the areas of science and technology, particularly in space, biomedicine and ayurveda, the spokesperson tweeted.

The two prime ministers also released two postal stamps showing the Rashtrapati Bhavan and Istana, the Singaporean presidential palace, to mark 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Earlier on Tuesday, Modi was accorded a ceremonial welcome at Istana following which he met Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Modi arrived in Singapore from Malaysia on Monday on a bilateral visit in the second and last leg of his four-day visit to southeast Asia.