MFA Press Statement: Bilateral Meeting between Foreign Minister George Yeo and Indian Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee in Cebu on 11 January 2007

Foreign Minister George Yeo and Indian Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee met in Cebu on 11 January 2007 on the sidelines of preparatory meetings held in the run-up to the Asean Summit.

Both Ministers agreed that bilateral relations have grown from strength to strength. They were pleased that the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) had boosted trade between Singapore and India, and that defence relations have deepened.

Both Ministers welcomed India's growing engagement of the region. They looked forward to further progress in negotiations in the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AIFTA), and affirmed the importance of the East Asia Summit (EAS). Minister Yeo noted that as countries in the East Asian region drew closer together in meetings such as the ASEAN Summit and the EAS, old cultural links would be revitalised.

Minister Mukherjee expressed appreciation to Singapore for hosting the Nalanda Symposium. Both Ministers welcomed the recommendation of the Symposium to re-establish the Nalanda University in Bihar, India.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
11 JANUARY 2007