Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Wednesday expressed his delight at hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an informal dinner meeting at the Istana ahead of their official discussions on Thursday.

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Istana is the official residence and office of the president of Singapore.

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Sharing a post on X handle, Wong posted a picture with PM Modi and said, “Welcome PM Narendra Modi to Singapore! Delighted to have the chance to catch up over a meal at the Istana, before the official meetings tomorrow.”

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The meeting between the two prime ministers is expected to boost economic cooperation, trade, and cultural exchanges between Singapore and India.

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Earlier, PM Modi, who arrived in Singapore on an official visit on Wednesday greeted Wong with his trademark embrace. A photograph captured the bonhomie between the two leaders who were captured with their arms thrown around each other’s shoulders.

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Earlier in the day, taking to his social media platform X, PM Modi said, “Landed in Singapore. Looking forward to the various meetings aimed at boosting the India-Singapore friendship. India’s reforms and the talent of our Yuva Shakti make our nation an ideal investment destination. We also look forward to closer cultural ties.”

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Prime Minister Modi, who concluded a historic visit to Brunei, was received by the Singaporean Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugham at the Changi airport and received a warm welcome from the Indian community.PM Modi was seen giving autographs to members of the community. He also tried his hand at playing dhol. He later posted on his X platform, “Thank you, Singapore! The welcome was truly vibrant.”

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During his visit, PM Modi will meet with leaders of Singapore’s vibrant business community and several MoUs are expected to be signed.

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“This visit is important as it gives a major push to India’s Act East policy to India’s vision of the Indo-Pacific to India-Singapore economic ties and to India-Singapore technological ties. All these are very important for both countries…” Jaiswal said in a video message posted on his X platform.

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The PM’s visit comes just days after India and Singapore held a ministerial roundtable meeting, which saw the participation of four Union Ministers and six ministers from Singapore.

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Several areas, including digitisation, skills development, sustainability, health, advanced manufacturing, and connectivity, were identified at the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable held on August 26.-ANI

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