Singapore, Dec 24 (PTI) India and Singapore marked 60 years of diplomatic relations in 2025, a milestone year marked by high-level visits, expanded strategic cooperation and a renewed roadmap to deepen their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
The anniversary year featured visits by Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to New Delhi. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Singaporean counterpart unveiled a roadmap to strengthen trade, improve market access and jointly navigate global trade disruptions.
“The state visit of President Tharman to India set the stage for a series of engagements in this anniversary year,” Indian High Commissioner to Singapore Shilpak Ambule said.
President Tharman’s January visit saw the unveiling of a joint commemorative logo marking 60 years of ties. Singapore remains a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision, with cooperation spanning political, defence, economic, cultural and people-to-people domains.
Ties were further cemented during Prime Minister Wong’s visit to India in September, when the two sides launched an ambitious partnership roadmap. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s July visit to Singapore highlighted the “steady progress” in bilateral initiatives, while Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said India would play a growing role as the world “inexorably” moves towards multipolarity.
The 3rd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) in New Delhi in August reviewed cooperation under six pillars, including advanced manufacturing, connectivity, digitalisation, healthcare, skills and sustainability. An ambitious proposal for an undersea cable to transmit solar energy and data connectivity from India to Singapore was also discussed.
Defence and maritime cooperation remained robust. The Singapore-India Maritime Bilateral Exercise (SIMBEX-25), held from July 28 to August 1, reinforced the “strong and enduring” naval partnership. A series of defence dialogues, including Army, Navy and Air Staff Talks, were held through the year, alongside Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s visit to Singapore in May for the Shangri-La Dialogue.
Several ministerial, parliamentary and judicial exchanges also took place in 2025. Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Sarbananda Sonowal and Piyush Goyal visited Singapore, while chief ministers from Telangana, Assam and Andhra Pradesh strengthened state-level engagement. Then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna met Singapore Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, and an all-party Indian parliamentary delegation interacted with Singapore’s leadership and the Indian community.
Amid the year’s engagements, the death of popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg in Singapore in September cast a shadow over the celebrations, deeply affecting fans across India.
Overall, 2025 stood out as a defining year in India-Singapore relations, reflecting strategic trust, deepening cooperation and a shared vision for the future.
Category: Breaking News
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