(AseanAll) — On January 16,2025, Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam received a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, visited the Raj Ghat to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, and met President of the Republic of India Droupadi Murmu, who hosted him to a State Banquet, according to Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Photo source:Ministry of External Affairs of India
President Tharman and President Murmu reaffirmed the warm and longstanding friendship between Singapore and India, as both countries commemorate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations. They took stock of the strong bilateral economic relations and growing people-to-people ties. The Presidents also welcomed cooperation in forward-looking areas including semiconductors, industrial park development, as well as the green and digital economies.
Photo source: Presidential Office of India
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on President Tharman. They welcomed the positive momentum in bilateral cooperation following the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) and Prime Minister Modi’s Official Visit to Singapore in 2024. They also discussed new opportunities for cooperation in tandem with the upgrade of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Photo source:Ministry of External Affairs of India
Tharman received calls from Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Health and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President JP Nadda, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw, and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary. They discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation including in the key ISMR pillars, such as connectivity, health, skills development, industrial park, digitalisation, and advanced manufacturing.
Tharman visited Bhubaneswar, Odisha from 17 to 18 January, where he met the Chief Minister of Odisha Mohan Charan Majhi and was hosted to dinner by Governor of Odisha Dr. Hari Babu Kambhampati. Tharman also participated in an MOU exchange ceremony. He visited the World Skills Centre which was set up by Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education Education Services (ITEES) with funding from the Asian Development Bank, and a vaccine manufacturing plant by Bharat Biotech. Tharman was accompanied by a business delegation to explore opportunities in areas including skills development and sustainable energy.