New York: Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has met with his Singapore colleague Vivian Balakrishnan here and held a “conversational conversation” in developments in strategic indo-Pacific thinking and sharing about fighting Covid-19 pandemics.
Jaisankar, who held a series of bilateral involvement in the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly which was now revealed, left to Mexico on Sunday.
In a tweet, Jaishankar said his colleague Singapore Balakrishnan as a “old friend”.
“Convenient conversation with an old friend.
Discuss the development of Indo-Pacific with FM @vivianbala Singapore.
Sharing thoughts about overcoming Covid’s challenges,” he said on Twitter on Sunday at his meeting with Singapore leaders from India.
India, the US and some other world powers have talked about the need to ensure free, open and developed Indo Pacific in the background of China’s increasing military maneuvers in the region.
China claims almost all the southern South China Sea, although Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claimed that part.
Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea.
The meeting between Jaisankar and Balakrishnan came a month after India and Singapore explored ways to work together in the view of the Indo-Pacific and exchange international and strategic problems relating to the region.
The two parties held a discussion at the 15th India-Singapore Foreign Office consultation which took place on August 11.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both parties reviewed the entire bilateral gamut and expressed satisfaction that even though the coronavirus pandemic, substances and substantial content were added to bonds, especially in the trade and defense sector.
Singapore has taken over as a state coordinator for India in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian countries) for a period of three years from 2021-2024.
Jaisankar visited Mexico at the invitation of Mexico’s colleague, Marcelo Ebard Casaubón.
This will be his first visit to the North American country as a minister of external affairs where he will participate in the 200-year commemoration of Mexican’s independence consolidation along with other world leaders, MEA said in a statement.
In addition to his meeting with Casaubón, he will also call President Mexico Manuel Lopez Obrador and interact with leading CEOs and business communities in Mexico, which is currently the second largest trading partner in India in Latin America and is an Unsc member with India for the period 2021-22.