India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable to be Held in Singapore on August 26
The second round of the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) is scheduled for August 26 in Singapore, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. Key Indian ministers, including Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, and Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw, will participate in the meeting.
During their visit, the ministers will interact with their Singaporean counterparts and meet with Singaporean leadership. The ISMR is a unique mechanism established to set a new agenda for India-Singapore bilateral relations, with its inaugural meeting held in New Delhi in September 2022.
This meeting will allow both sides to review various aspects of their Strategic Partnership and identify new avenues to further elevate and broaden it. The relations between India and Singapore are based on shared values, economic opportunities, and convergence of interests on key issues. There are more than 20 regular bilateral mechanisms, dialogues, and exercises between the two nations.
India and Singapore share a strong convergence on various international issues and are members of several forums, including the East Asia Summit, G20, Commonwealth, Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS).
Earlier on August 19, Secretary East, Ministry of External Affairs Jaideep Mazumdar met with the Permanent Secretary for Law and Second Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Luke Goh, in Delhi to discuss bilateral, regional, and important international issues of mutual interest.
In July, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with his Singapore counterpart Vivian Balakrishnan on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Vientiane, Laos, to discuss creating a new agenda for bilateral ties and appreciated Singapore’s role in steering ASEAN-India relations over the past three years.
Doubts Revealed
Ministerial Roundtable -: A Ministerial Roundtable is a meeting where important government ministers from different countries come together to discuss and make decisions on various issues.
Singapore -: Singapore is a small but very developed country in Southeast Asia. It is known for its cleanliness, safety, and strong economy.
Finance Minister -: The Finance Minister is a government official responsible for managing a country’s money, including taxes, spending, and financial policies. In India, this role is currently held by Nirmala Sitharaman.
External Affairs Minister -: The External Affairs Minister is a government official responsible for managing a country’s relationships with other countries. In India, this role is currently held by S Jaishankar.
Strategic partnership -: A strategic partnership is a long-term agreement between two countries to work together closely on important issues like trade, security, and technology.
Bilateral relations -: Bilateral relations are the interactions and agreements between two countries. India and Singapore have strong bilateral relations, meaning they work well together on many issues.
G20 -: The G20 is a group of 20 major economies, including India, that come together to discuss and solve global economic problems.
East Asia Summit -: The East Asia Summit is a meeting of leaders from countries in East Asia and other important countries like India and the United States. They discuss regional and global issues.
