The India-Singapore relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2015

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed bilateral ties with Singapore's Defence and Finance Ministers during a brief stopover on his way to Indonesia to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Bali.

During his stay in Singapore on Wednesday, EAM Jaishankar met with Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong. The two leaders discussed strategies to advance bilateral relations and shared their views on the state of the world's politics and economy.

"Glad to meet DPM and Finance Minister @LawrenceWongST in Singapore. A good discussion on taking our bilateral partnership to the next level. Also exchanged views on the global poltical and economic situation," he tweeted after the meeting.

In a tweet, Wong noted, "India & Singapore are close & long-standing friends, with a substantive relationship across many fields. So it was good to catch up with Indian External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar this morning to discuss areas for bilateral cooperation & broader geopolitical developments."

Along with Wong, EAM Jaishankar also spoke with Singapore's Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen. "Thank Singapore Defense Minister @Ng_Eng_Hen for hosting me this afternoon. Enjoyed our conversation. Always benefit from his insights and perspectives," the External Affairs Minister tweeted.

The Singapore Defence Minister tweeted and said, "Delighted to have lunch with India Minister of External Affairs @DrSJaishankar. As always, I find pearls of wisdom from our conversations to achieve stability for both our countries and the region."

India and Singapore have strong bilateral ties. In 2015, this robust relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mark 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Singapore is also India's largest trade partner in the ASEAN and is among the leading sources of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).