New Delhi: While speaking at a press briefing on Monday, the Secretary East in the Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Singapore on September 4, and this visit comes after six years. Mazumdar said that PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore is important for trade and investment.
“From the point of trade and investment also PM’s visit to Singapore is significant. Singapore is India’s largest trade partner in ASEAN. It is a leading source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the last financial year. Singapore is India’s sixth largest trade partner worldwide,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi will also address the CEOs in his visit.
“Investments have also been very large. Since 2000 till now, we have an accumulative FDI of USD 160 billion dollars. There will be an interaction with business leaders in the PM’s visit. This will be an important element of the visit as Prime Minister will address the CEOs in his visit, where they will hear India’s growth story first hand,” Mazumdar said.
Mazumdar recalled the beginning of India-Singapore ties. “His [PM Modi’s] first visit to Singapore was in his first term as the Prime Minister. This visit is of great significance as it’s his visit early in his term, and also as the new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has taken oath recently and Singaporeans are excited to welcome PM Modi. This is an opportune time to set the stage for India-Singapore’s vibrant bilateral relations for the next stage of India-Singapore bilateral relations. Our ties have evolved and we have a dynamic strategic partnership encompassing diverse areas from our shared history and people-to-people ties, which form an important link between us,” he said.