New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Brunei today at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. This will be the first bilateral visit of an Indian prime minister to Brunei, according to MEA. It also marks 40 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Brunei is an important partner in India’s “Act East” policy and its vision of Indo-Pacific. “The visit will further strengthen India’s cooperation with Brunei in all existing sectors, including defence cooperation, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health cooperation, capacity building, culture as well as people-to-people exchanges, and explore avenues for cooperation in newer sectors,” the ministry said.
“The Pradhan Sevak of our country is working for his community. He is coming here for the Indian community that resides here. This is very important for the people of Indian Brunei. This country is very important in the South East Asia. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah treats every community equally, he does not treat anyone differently… We are grateful to our PM who is coming for us… India has always shown the way to the world, PM will come here to guide us… We hope tourism and trade increase between the two countries,” Bandar Seri Begawan, a member of the Indian Diaspora Ramesh Jeewatram Bhavnani, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
From Brunei, PM Modi will visit Singapore at the invitation of Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
“The leaders will review the progress of the India-Singapore Strategic Partnership and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the MEA said.
During his visit, the prime Minister will call on Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and interact with the Singaporean leadership. He will also meet business leaders in the country.
PM Modi’s visits to Brunei and Singapore will further strengthen India’s cooperation with the two countries both bilaterally and within the regional and multilateral frameworks, the MEA said.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, during the briefing, also spoke about the India Singapore ministerial roundtable, first held in 2022 and then in 2024, in which four Indian ministers participated.
The ties between India and Singapore are deep, and after the roundtable, they have “deepened and strengthened”, and the prime minister’s visit seeks to further strengthen the relationship, the MEA spokesperson said.
