Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on an official visit to Brunei and Singapore from Tuesday. The PM will visit Brunei on 3-4 September at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in all areas. India and Brunei have recently completed 40 years of diplomatic relations. This is the first visit of an Indian Prime Minister to Brunei. After Brunei, PM Modi will visit Singapore on 4-5 September. Here, issues related to investment and tourism will be discussed. PM Modi is visiting Singapore after 6 years.
This visit of the Prime Minister will prove to be very important for India’s Act-East policy. The Indian government has always been trying to reduce the growing influence and bullying of China in this region. This visit of PM Modi will be an effort to further strengthen the strong relations between India and these ASEAN countries.
What will be included in the agenda of Brunei tour
Speaking to the media on the PM’s visit to Brunei, the Ministry of External Affairs said that the PM will hold bilateral discussions on all aspects of relations and cooperation there. The Ministry said that as you know, we share very friendly relations with Brunei. Various issues like defense, trade, energy, health and investment will be discussed with Brunei.
Speaking to news agency ANI, the Foreign Ministry official said that there are about 14,000 Indian expatriates living in Brunei. A large number of them include doctors and teachers, who have made a name for themselves in that country for their contribution to Brunei’s economy and society. He said that Brunei is an important partner for India’s Act East Policy and Indo Pacific vision. We are completing ten years of our Act East Policy this year, so this visit becomes important. The official said that Brunei becomes important for us. He has also been our country coordinator in ASEAN from 2012 to 2015.
What will be the importance of PM’s visit to Singapore
After Brunei, PM Modi will visit Singapore. PM Modi will visit Singapore between 4-5 September on the invitation of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Vons. Earlier, PM Modi had visited this country 6 years ago. On this visit, the Ministry of External Affairs told the media that the Prime Minister will also meet Singapore businessmen and leaders. Ministry official Majumdar said that there has been a steady progress in the field of trade and investment between the two countries. There is a strong defense, cooperation and cultural exchange between us. It is important for both countries that our relations are strong. Singapore is also an important part of our Act East Policy.