Singapore’s President Tharman Shanmugaratnam will pay a visit to India, marking it the first trip by any Singaporean president to the country in 10 years. During his trip, which is scheduled to take place from January 14 to January 18, Shanmugaratnam is likely to sign two crucial skill development agreements between the two nations.

The last time a Singaporean leader visited India was in 2015 when former President Tony Tan King Yam conducted a trip to New Delhi. Shanmugaratnam’s state visit in January would mark the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between India and Singapore. During his tour, the president is likely to visit New Delhi and Odisha.

In New Delhi, he will hold a meeting with Indian President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  He is also likely to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, Health Minister J P Nadda, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnav and Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development Jayant Chaudhary, The India Express reported.

What’s on the agenda?

After Delhi, Shanmugaratnam will travel to Bhubaneshwar, where he will hold talks with Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. The officials noted that the Singaporean leader will also pay a visit to the famous Konark Temple in the state.

According to The Indian Express, Shangmugaratnam is expected to confer the Honorary Citizen Award to Tarun Das, the former DG of CII. During PM Modi’s visit to Singapore in September 2024, the two world leaders were elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

It is pertinent to note that Singapore is Indiaʼs largest trade partner among the ASEAN nations and is one of the leading sources from where New Delhi generates its FDI. Over the years, there has been an active collaboration between the two nations to establish skill development centres in various sectors.

With inputs from agencies.