During Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi's visit to Singapore in November 2015, PM Lee Hsien Loong presented to PM Modi a special gift of the front page of Singapore Tamil newspaper Tamil Murasu dated 11 August 1965. The page carried the news of India's recognition of Singapore, just three days after Singapore gained independence on 9 August 1965. [Photo: PMO, Singapore]
Singapore enjoys excellent, broad-based and multifaceted bilateral relations with India, underpinned by the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership signed in November 2015 during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Singapore. Our political leaders also enjoy good rapport and interact frequently. There are currently two Ministerial committees/dialogues - the Foreign Ministers’ Joint Ministerial Committee for Bilateral Cooperation and the India-Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue.
India is an important economic partner for Singapore. Economic engagement is anchored by the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, which came into effect in June 2005. In 2015, Singapore was India’s 11th largest trading partner worldwide, and the 3rd largest trading partner in ASEAN. Singapore has also consistently been among India’s top investors.
Our two countries commemorated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2015 with President Tony Tan Keng Yam’s State Visit to India in February, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s official visit to Singapore in November, during which relations were elevated with the signing of the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
2016
- Indian Minister of Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Jairam Gadkari visited Singapore for the inaugural Indian Ocean Conference in September.
- Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam made a working visit to New Delhi and Haryana in August.
- Indian Minister of Defence Manohar Parrikar visited Singapore in June to co-chair the inaugural Defence Ministers’ Dialogue, and attended the 15th Shangri-La Dialogue.
- Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam made a working visit to New Delhi and Mumbai in April.
- Minister (Trade and Industry – Industry) S Iswaran made a working visit to Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in February.
- Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivaraj Singh Chouhan visited Singapore as the 50th Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow in January.
2015
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an official visit to Singapore in November.
- Minister (Home Affairs and Law) K Shanmugam visited Rajasthan in November to attend the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit, and thereafter visited New Delhi.
- Senior Minister of State (Prime Minister’s Office, Foreign Affairs and Transport) Josephine Teo visited New Delhi in October for the 3rd India-Africa Summit.
- Minister (Trade and Industry – Industry) S Iswaran made a working visit to Andhra Pradesh in October to attend the foundation ceremony for the Amaravati Capital City Project.
- Indian Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu visited Singapore in October to speak at the 6th World Bank-Singapore Infrastructure Finance Summit.
- Minister (Foreign Affairs) Dr Vivian Balakrishnan made a working visit to New Delhi in October to co-chair the 4th meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Bilateral Cooperation.
- Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Chandrababu Naidu made a working visit to Singapore in September.
- Indian Minister of Finance Arun Jaitley made a working visit to Singapore in September and delivered the keynote address at the Singapore Summit.
- Minister (Foreign Affairs and Law) K Shanmugam made a working visit to Tamil Nadu in July.
- Minister (Trade and Industry – Industry) S Iswaran made a working visit to Andhra Pradesh in May to attend the 3rd High-Level Committee Meeting on the Andhra Pradesh Capital City.
- Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu made a working visit to Singapore in March to attend the 2nd High-Level Committee Meeting on the Andhra Pradesh Capital City.
- Minister (Foreign Affairs and Law) K Shanmugam made working visits to Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh in February.
- President Tony Tan Keng Yam made a State Visit to India in February to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
- Second Minister (Trade and Industry & Home Affairs) and Minister (Prime Minister’s Office) S Iswaran made a working visit to Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh in January.
