Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia are the three destinations on Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's Southeast Asia tour next week.
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| Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar visits three Southeast Asian countries from March 23-27. |
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will embark on a five-day official visit to three Southeast Asian countries starting March 23 to boost bilateral ties and discuss regional issues.
According to a statement from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs , “the visit will focus on strengthening bilateral relations with the three countries and provide opportunities to engage on regional issues of mutual interest.”
Singapore is one of India's closest partners in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The two sides have close ties in areas ranging from trade to defense and security.
Last year, India and Singapore set up a real-time linked payments service to make cross-border money transfers more convenient and cost-effective.
India has been strengthening its ties with the Philippines in recent times, especially in the defense sector. The Philippines became the first foreign buyer of the BrahMos cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia. New Delhi has also expressed support for Manila’s stance on territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Relations between India and Malaysia have cooled in recent years due to entanglement on a number of issues, although both sides have made efforts to restore normalcy, especially after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim takes office in 2022.
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