Jaishankar meets Singapore PM Lee, top ministers to further strengthen bilateral ties

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong here on Friday and discussed how the two countries can work towards an even stronger partnership in the post-pandemic world.

Jaishankar described his three-day visit to Singapore as "productive". During his stay here, Jaishankar met a number of top ministers and exchanged views with them on ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and Singapore.

"Thank Prime Minister@leehsienloong for receiving me today. Conveyed greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar tweeted.

Modi and Lee had met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rome on October 30, their first in-person meeting in the post-pandemic period.

"Emerging from Covid, we work towards an even stronger partnership. Our shared interests and convergent views help us cooperate closely in a changing world," he wrote.

He also called on Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

"Discussed the global situation and our bilateral relationship. Always appreciate his insights and guidance," Jaishankar said in another tweet.

He also met Singapore’s finance minister Lawrence Wong and health minister Ong Ye Kung and exchanged views with them on the growth prospects of bilateral ties and health security cooperation with the city-state.

Jaishankar said that he was glad to meet Singapore’s Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong with whom he discussed bilateral relationships.

“Glad to meet Finance Minister @LawrenceWongST. Interesting exchange of views on the growth prospects of our ties," Jaishankar tweeted.

In a separate meeting, he held talks with Health Minister Ong and discussed Covid-19 experience and health security cooperation.

“A good meeting with Singapore’s Health Minister Ong Ye Kung. Discussed Covid experiences and health security cooperation,” Jaishankar said in another tweet.

"A productive three day visit to Singapore. Pleasant memories, exciting possibilities," he tweeted with a picture of him at the airport.

Earlier, he spoke on a panel "Greater Power Competition: The Emerging World Order" at the Bloomberg New Economic Forum.

During the forum -- which was also attended by former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair -- the minister said that India and China are going through a "particularly bad patch" in their ties because Beijing has taken a set of actions in violation of agreements for which it still doesn't have a "credible explanation" and it is for the Chinese leadership to answer where they want to take the bilateral relationship.

Jaishankar’s meeting with Singapore’s finance and health ministers took place a day after he met senior ministers of Singapore, including his counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan and defence minister Ng Eng Hen, and discussed ways to strengthen the strategic partnership between India and the city-state.

Earlier, Jaishankar also met Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam, Minister of Home Affairs and Law on Thursday.

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