India and Singapore review progress in bilateral and multilateral cooperation
New Delhi, Aug 6
India and Singapore reviewed the progress in bilateral cooperation during the 19th round of India-Singapore Foreign Office Consultations held in New Delhi on Thursday.
"The 19th round of India-Singapore Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held on 06 August 2026, in New Delhi. Indian delegation was led by Shri Rudrendra Tandon, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs and the Singapore delegation was led by Mr. Luke Goh, Permanent Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore," stated the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"The two sides reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation under the eight key areas outlined by the Roadmap for India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP Roadmap) that will be taken up under India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR)," it added.
The two sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments and reaffirmed the importance of close coordination at international and regional fora, including ASEAN, in addressing shared challenges.
India-Singapore relations were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Singapore in September 2024.
The Roadmap for Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was launched during the India visit of Singapore PM Lawrence Wong in September 2025, and covers cooperation in the areas of economic cooperation, skills development, digitalisation, sustainability, connectivity, healthcare and medicine, people-to-people and cultural exchanges and defence and security cooperation.
During his visit to India, Permanent Secretary Luke Goh called on External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar besides also meeting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Rajiv Mani, Secretary, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice.
Secretary Misri and Goh exchanged views on advancing India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and regional and global developments.
The previous round of Foreign Office Consultations was held in March 2025, in Singapore.
Both sides reviewed the entire gamut of India-Singapore bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and exchanged views on regional and global matters of mutual interest. The discussion focused on the six pillars of cooperation - Digitalisation, Skills Development, Sustainability, Healthcare and Medicine, Advanced Manufacturing and Connectivity - which were identified during the two rounds of India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable for further strengthening bilateral cooperation.
The discussion also covered bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence, trade, investments, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Singapore is a key partner for India in Southeast Asia. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is a strong foundation. Hope this translates into tangible trade and investment outcomes for both nations.
Happy to see healthcare and medicine cooperation being highlighted. Singapore has world-class healthcare infrastructure; we can learn a lot from them. Also, the people-to-people exchanges will boost cultural ties.
The roadmap covers a lot of ground, but implementation matters. We've had many MoUs and roadmaps before; need to see concrete progress on the ground, especially in trade facilitation and connectivity.
Singapore is one of India's most reliable partners in ASEAN. The focus on advanced manufacturing and digitalisation could be a game-changer if we leverage it well. More such consultations are needed.
It's encouraging to see India and Singapore working closely on sustainability and connectivity. This partnership could set an example for the wider Indo-Pacific region. Keep up the good work!
The defence and security cooperation aspect is important too, especially given the evolving regional dynamics. But we also need to ensure our domestic industries benefit from these partnerships.
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