EAM S Jaishankar meets Singapore defence minister

Singapore: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday held talks with Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and also chaired the regional conference of India's ASEAN and East Asia Ambassadors here.

Jaishankar, who is here on the second leg of his two-nation visit to Southeast Asia, will also meet Singapore's newly-elected President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and other senior leaders and review bilateral cooperation and explore opportunities for further collaboration.

"Good to meet my friend Defence Minister @Ng_Eng_Hen today. Thank him for addressing our Ambassadors conference. Always appreciate his strategic reading and assessments," he said in a post on X.

Good to meet my friend Defense Minister @Ng_Eng_Hen today.



Thank him for addressing our Ambassadors conference.



Always appreciate his strategic reading and assessments. pic.twitter.com/ApUIVLh2L1

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 19, 2023

The external affairs minister chaired the regional conference of India's ASEAN & East Asia Ambassadors.

"Our deliberations took stock of developments in the region and assessed their implications for India. Insights offered by our Ambassadors are valuable inputs into policy making," he said in another post.

On Wednesday, Singapore Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Jaishankar’s visit reaffirms the close and longstanding ties between Singapore and India, which are built on a strong foundation of strategic trust.

"The visit will be an opportunity for both sides to review our bilateral cooperation, explore collaboration in emerging areas including digitalisation and skills development under the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable, and exchange views on regional and global developments," it said.

Jaishankar arrived in Singapore from Vietnam on the final leg of his two-nation official visit.