India and Singapore held the 18th round of Foreign Office Consultations in Singapore, with discussions focusing on strengthening bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The Indian delegation was led by Jaideep Mazumdar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, while Singapore was represented by Luke Goh, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both sides reviewed the full spectrum of their strategic partnership, exchanging views on regional and global matters of mutual interest. The discussions centered on six key areas of collaboration—digitalization, skills development, sustainability, healthcare and medicine, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity—identified during previous India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable meetings.

Additionally, the consultations covered bilateral cooperation in defense, trade, investments, culture, and people-to-people exchanges. A roadmap for implementing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore in September 2024, was also discussed.

As India and Singapore celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, the consultations provided a timely platform to review the progress of recent high-level engagements and outline future exchanges and cooperation. Both sides agreed to convene the next round of consultations in India at a mutually convenient date.

During his visit to Singapore, Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar also met with Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan and Dr. Beh Swan Gin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Trade & Industry. He further engaged with scholars and academics at an event organized by the Institute of South Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore.