President to visit Singapore

By Amit Baruah

SINGAPORE, OCT. 25. The President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, will be in Singapore from November 9 to 13 on a five-day State visit. Mr. Narayanan will be the first Indian President to visit Singapore in nearly 30 years. The last Indian head of State to have come to Singapore was V. V. Giri - way back in September 1971.

The President's visit to Singapore comes at a time when there is growing economic cooperation between the two countries. The growing interest of Singapore in Indian information technology is apparent; private sector cooperation in areas such as telecommunications is also a promising area.

Mr. Narayanan, who is scheduled to be here for three full days, will be received at the airport by the Singapore President, Mr. S. R. Nathan. The Singapore Prime Minister, Mr. Goh Chok Tong, will call on the President. Mr. Narayanan is also scheduled to have a meeting with the senior Minister and former Prime Minister, Mr. Lee Kuan Yew.

While final touches are being given to the President's programme, it is significant that Mr. Narayanan is only coming to Singapore. It is not as if he is visiting other countries and ``also'' coming to Singapore.

High-level contacts between the two countries at the level of Prime Minister have continued right through the decade of the 1990s, with Mr. Goh Chok Tong paying one of his three visits to India as late as January this year. However, the visit by the President is a sign that the relations between the two countries are moving to a new and higher plane.

Singapore is a key player in ASEAN; until recently it was the country coordinator for India in the regional grouping. Its size may be small, but its clout is enormous.

This country is a trend-setter in both the new economy and new technology and is constantly endeavouring to remain ahead of the rest of the region in efforts to attract capital and companies.

For both India and Singapore, a new factor in the relationship is the growing number of Indian professionals working in the country - specially in the field of information technology. Also, Singapore Airlines and the Tatas are in talks to pick up a possible stake in Air India. As Singapore looks to expand investments, India looks attractive as a destination.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Next     : Indian dentist convicted for killing husband