"Glad to celebrate 60 years of close and enduring friendship with India": Singapore PM Wong

New Delhi [India], September 4 (ANI): Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the warm welcome extended to him and his delegation during his official visit to India.
"Thank you, Prime Minister Modi, for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to me and my delegation...I am glad to be back on my first official visit as Prime Minister and to celebrate 60 years of close and enduring friendship between our two countries. Over this past decade, India has made remarkable advances under Prime Minister Modi's leadership. India is now the fourth-largest economy in the world, with a dynamism and influence felt far beyond its borders," Wong said while adressing a joint press conference at the Hyderabad House.
Highlighting the strong economic ties between the two countries, Wong said, "Singapore is the largest foreign investor in India, accounting for around a quarter of India's foreign direct investment inflows and our cooperation now spans a wide and diverse range of fields. Last year, PM Modi and I agreed to elevate relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership. This morning, we had fruitful discussions on how we can take this comprehensive strategic partnership forward."
He further outlined plans to expand cooperation in emerging sectors, adding, "We will expand cooperation in frontier areas like space. To date, more than 20 Singapore-made satellites have been launched by India. Through the MoU on promoting collaboration in the space sector, we will broaden this partnership and push the boundaries of what we can achieve together. Finally, Prime Minister Modi and I reaffirmed that people-to-people ties remain the bedrock of our relationship. We agreed to enhance exchanges, including through closer civil service cooperation."
On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong in New Delhi, following which the Singaporean leader outlined plans to expand cooperation in emerging sectors.
The two leaders also jointly inaugurated the JN Port PSA Mumbai Terminal (BMCT) Phase-II in the presence of officials from both countries.
During the event, several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed between India and Singapore, with both leaders in attendance.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi met Wong at Hyderabad House in the national capital for a bilateral meeting. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar also called on PM Wong and discussed strengthening India-Singapore ties, expressing hope that the talks with Prime Minister Modi would chart a roadmap for the nations' ties.
In a post on X, Jaishankar said, "Pleased to call on PM Lawrence Wong of Singapore this morning in Delhi. Appreciate his constant encouragement for the strengthening of India-Singapore ties. Confident that his talks later today with PM Narendra Modi will chart a roadmap for our contemporary ties."
Following his meeting with EAM Jaishankar, Wong said the discussion between the two leaders revolved around global and regional developments among other issues.
"With India External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar-- We discussed regional & global developments, and the good progress in India-SG cooperation," he tweeted.
Commenting on his visit, Wong described it as a "productive start" to his trip to New Delhi.
In a post on X, he added, "Had a productive start to my visit in New Delhi. Last evening, I joined overseas Singaporeans and friends of Singapore for a special SG60 reception. Many had travelled from different parts of India -- Chennai, Mumbai, and beyond -- to be part of this occasion."
The Singaporean PM arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday for a three-day official visit. (ANI)