MFA Press Statement: First meeting of the India-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC)

The first India-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) meeting was held on 22 April 2008 in New Delhi, India. It was preceded by a Senior Officials' Meeting on 21 April 2008. The JMC meeting was co-chaired by Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo and Indian Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee.

At the JMC meeting, both Ministers agreed that the JMC marked an important milestone in India-Singapore bilateral relations as it is the first institutionalised bilateral mechanism at a ministerial level. They took stock of the growing linkages between India and Singapore and expressed satisfaction at the rapid expansion of relations, particularly in trade, investment and defence.

The Ministers also discussed future cooperation in areas such as education and culture. The Ministers noted that bilateral cultural initiatives such as the exhibition "On the Nalanda Trail" at the Asian Civilisations Museum had been very well received both locally as well as internationally. Both Ministers therefore agreed to explore future cultural initiatives such as India's historical links to Singapore. On education, both ministers recognised the growing importance of educational cooperation and linkages between institutions of higher education of both countries. The 2nd India-Singapore JMC meeting will be held in Singapore in 2009.

While in New Delhi, Minister Yeo also met with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Murli Deora, Minister of Human Resources Development Arjun Singh, parliamentarians and businessmen. Minister Yeo is scheduled to visit Madhya Pradesh today and will call on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and meet senior officials and members of the business community of the state.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
24 APRIL 2008