Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Singapore, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has said that discussions on maritime security will be a key agenda item during the talks with Singaporean leadership.
“On maritime security and safety, of course, you know India’s position on the South China Sea. In the case of Singapore as well, it is important for them to maintain sea lines of communication that are safe, secure, and free,” said Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary East at the MEA, during a special briefing.
Mazumdar said that India and Singapore have a “congruence of views” on the importance of maritime security and safety in the region. He said these issues are likely to be discussed, though the degree of focus would depend on the overall bilateral talks.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Singapore from September 4-5 comes at the invitation of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Prior to that, PM Modi will travel to Brunei at the invitation of Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, on September 2-3, marking the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Southeast Asian nation.
Mazumdar said, “This will be the first-ever bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei and it coincides with the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between our two countries this year. Some of you may recall that Sultan His Majesty Haji Hassanal Bolkiah paid state visits to India in 1992 and in 2008 and he also attended the ASEAN India Commemorative Summits in 2012 and in 2018. In the last visit, he was also Chief Guest for Our Republic Day along with other ASEAN leaders.”
The MEA official also indicated that the situation in India’s neighborhood, including Myanmar, is likely to be discussed during PM Modi’s visits to Brunei and Singapore, as both are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“As common members of ASEAN, for both Singapore and Brunei, these discussions regarding the region will, of course, come up in whenever there are bilateral visits. The situation in the neighborhood and neighbors always comes up. So, I expect that it will also be discussed,” Mazumdar said.
During the visit, the MEA official said Prime Minister will engage in bilateral discussions on all aspects of our bilateral relations and cooperation with Brunei and also explore new areas for cooperation.
“As you know, we share a very warm and friendly relationship with Brunei and our engagements cover multiple areas such as defence, trade and investment, energy, space, technology, health, capacity, building, culture and vibrant people-to-people exchanges. The Indian diaspora in Brunei is about 14,000 and they comprise a substantial number of doctors and teachers in Brunei who have earned goodwill and respect for their contributions to Brunei’s economy and society,” he said.
Highlighting Brunei’s support for India in the space program, Mazumdar said, “We have received valuable support from Brunei in our space program. We have three MoUs with Brunei in this area. We have established a telemetry tracking and command station in Brunei in 2,000 and this tracks and monitors all our eastward launches of satellites and satellite launch vehicles.”
The Prime Minister’s engagements in Brunei and Singapore are expected to further strengthen India’s strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region and contribute to the country’s broader “Act East” policy. Stressing that defence is an important pillar in bilateral cooperation, he noted the two nations signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2016 and it was renewed in 2021
“Defence is another important pillar in our bilateral cooperation. We have an MoU on Defence which was signed in 2016 and has since been renewed in 2021. It provides a framework for our collaboration that covers regular exchanges at high levels, naval and coast guard ship exchange visits, training and joint exercises, and participation in each other’s exhibitions,” Mazumdar said.
“We are also working towards establishing a Joint Working Group for cooperation in the area of defence. Brunei is an important partner for India’s Act East Policy and our vision for the Indo- Pacific and as we mark a decade of our Act East policy this year, the visit assumes additional significance. Brunei has been our Country Coordinator in ASEAN from 2012 to 2015 and played a key role in our further engagements with ASEAN and continues to do so today,” the MEA official said.
(Inputs from ANI)