The third round of the India–Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) will be held in New Delhi on Wednesday, with the aim of further expanding and deepening bilateral relations between the two nations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.
Representing India at the talks will be External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Minister for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The Singapore delegation will be led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong, accompanied by Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng, and Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.
India and Singapore elevated their ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the island nation last year.
Envisioned by Prime Minister Modi, the ISMR is described by the MEA as a unique platform for shaping a forward-looking agenda for India–Singapore cooperation. The inaugural meeting was held in New Delhi in September 2022, followed by the second round in Singapore in August 2024. The third edition is expected to identify new opportunities to further strengthen the partnership.
In January this year, Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam visited India for high-level engagements. During his visit, he met EAM Jaishankar to discuss cooperation in areas such as semiconductors, industrial parks, skilling, digitalisation, and trade development. He also held talks with Prime Minister Modi, focusing on “futuristic sectors” to enhance collaboration between the two nations.