Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 3y embarked on a three-day official visit to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore. He will be first visiting Brunei Darussalam at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah from September 3-4. After that, he will travel to Singapore at the invitation of Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Singapore. This visit is scheduled between 4-5 September.
PM Modi will become the first-ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Brunei for a bilateral visit. This is being viewed as a significant step in bolstering ties between the two nations.
“Today, I am embarking on a first-ever bilateral visit to Brunei Darussalam. As we celebrate the 40 years of our diplomatic relations, I look forward to my meetings with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other esteemed members of the Royal family to advance our historical relationship to new heights,” the PM said in his departure statement.
“From Brunei, I will travel to Singapore on 4 September. I look forward to the opportunity to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. I will also meet with leaders of Singapore’s vibrant business community. I look forward to my discussions to deepen our Strategic Partnership with Singapore, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalization, and sustainable development.,” PM Modi said.
“Both countries are important partners in our Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision. I am confident that my visits would further strengthen our partnership with Brunei, Singapore and the larger ASEAN region,” PM Modi said in the statement Last month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Erywan Pehin Yusof, Foreign Minister of Brunei on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane and jointly launched the logo celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Indian naval and coast guard ships have regularly visited Brunei and two Indian defence companies — Bharat Electronics Ltd and MKU Limited — participated in the Defence Industry Exposition organised by Brunei Armed Forces in June 2024 for the first time. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah visited the Indian stalls during the expo and appreciated the Indian companies’ participation.
