President Murmu, PM Modi Send Warm Wishes to Singapore on Its National Day

On the occasion of Singapore’s National Day, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed their warm wishes to their counterparts through official letters on Wednesday. Singapore National Day, observed annually on August 9, marking its separation from Malaysia in 1965. The occasion features a national parade and an official address by the Prime Minister on the eve of the holiday.

In a letter addressed to Singapore President Halimah Yacob, President Murmu extended warm congratulations on behalf of the people and the Government of India. She highlighted the growing and diversified bilateral relationship encompassing trade, investment, defence, financial technology, skill development, and people-to-people connections. President Murmu also expressed optimism for enhanced collaboration to benefit both nations.

Prime Minister Modi, in his letter to Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong, emphasised the robust and comprehensive Strategic Partnership shared between India and Singapore. Modi reiterated Singapore’s significance as a pivotal ally in the country’s engagement with the broader Indo-Pacific region, underscoring its central role in India’s Act East Policy.

The Prime Minister went on to express confidence in identifying new avenues for mutual growth and fostering bilateral ties, with a special focus on the establishment of the India-Singapore Ministerial Round Table. Moreover, PM Modi conveyed his gratitude for Singapore’s active participation as the guest country in this year’s G20 summit and looked forward to ongoing support in achieving the key objectives of India’s G20 Presidency.

In a separate post, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar wished his Singaporean counterpart on their National Day. “Warm greetings to FM @VivianBala and the Government and the people of Singapore on their National Day. Our deep and enduring friendship continues to prosper,” Jaishankar wrote on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Singapore was India’s 6th largest trade partner in 2021-22 with a share of 2.9 % of India’s overall trade, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). In 2021-22, bilateral trade stood at USD 30.11 billion compared to US 21.98 billion during 2020-21.

Last year saw the resumption of regular face-to-face engagements between India and Singapore, with a number of high-level bilateral meetings taking place between the two sides.