Singapore, Sep 05, 2024, IANS

Singapore, Sep 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Singapore on Wednesday as part of the final leg of his two-nation tour from Brunei, will receive an official welcome at the Parliament House on Thursday, followed by meetings with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. Prime Minister Modi will also meet senior Emeritus Minister Goh Chok Tong on Thursday to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries. Following the bilaterals, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in a business roundtable with Singaporean business leaders organised by the Singapore Business Federation, interact with semiconductor ecosystem players, and engage with students from the country who did internships in India in the 'India Ready Talent Programme'. He will also interact with the Odisha World Skills Center interns in Singapore companies. PM Modi arrived in Singapore on Wednesday afternoon after wrapping up a historic two-day trip to Brunei, the first bilateral visit by an Indian PM to the Southeast Asian nation. Upon his arrival in Singapore, PM Modi was received by the country's Minister of Home Affairs and Law, K. Shanmugam. At the hotel, members of the Indian diaspora gave a rousing welcome to the Prime Minister with traditional Maharashtrian dance and drums. Adding to the excitement of those present at the venue, including several children, PM Modi also tried his hand at the 'dhol'. The bilateral discussions on Thursday are expected to focus on deepening cultural connections and fostering stronger people-to-people ties between the two nations. The key areas of enhanced cooperation under consideration include digital innovation, skill development, sustainability, healthcare, connectivity, and advanced manufacturing. Last week, a high-level Indian delegation, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had participated in the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) held in Singapore. PM Modi's visit is expected to further enhance the relationship between the two countries, emphasising both economic and cultural collaborations. Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), had said before PM Modi left for his two-nation visit, "Singapore is India's largest trade partner in ASEAN and it is a leading source of foreign direct investment. "Singapore is India's sixth largest trade partner worldwide and the largest source of FDI during the last financial year. Investments have also been very large since 2000 and till now we have had cumulative FDI of about $160 billion. There will be an interaction with the business leaders during Prime Minister's visit where CEOs will be listening to India's growth story first hand from the Prime Minister."