PM Modi meets Premier Lawrence Wong, says ’want to create many Singapores in India’ | Top quotes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 5 hailed Singapore and said that it is not just a country but an inspiration for every developing country. The Prime Minister arrived in the Southeast Asian country on Wednesday.

His two-day visit is poised to bolster bilateral ties between the two countries. The second day of his trip in Singapore began with a ceremonial welcome for PM Modi at Singapore's Parliament House, followed by a meeting with Singapore's Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong.

According to ANI report, PM Modi is slated to tour a cutting-edge semiconductor facility today and sign several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs). The Singapore leg comes after Modi visited Brunei, in the first bilateral visit by an Indian premier to the country.

Here are top quotes from his speech in Singapore today:

• Expressing gratitude PM Modi said, “I thank you for your warm welcome."
• In the opening remarks on the second day of his visit to the island nation, he said, "This is our first meeting after you assumed the post of Prime Minister. Many congratulations to you from my side.”
• Praising Lawrence Wong, PM Modi added, "I am confident that under the leadership of 4G, Singapore will progress even faster. Singapore is not just a country, Singapore is an inspiration for every developing country. 
• Labelling the ministerial roundtable as a ‘a path-breaking mechanism’ PM Modi stated, "We also want to create many Singapores in India and I am happy that we are working together in this direction. The ministerial roundtable that has been formed between us is a path-breaking mechanism."

• At the meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, the Prime Minister pointed out that cooperation between the two nations in various sectors, including digitalisation, advanced manufacturing and cyber security, has become an identity of India-Singapore ministerial roundtable.
• Cooperation in the fields of skilling, digitalisation, mobility, advanced manufacturing, semiconductors, AI, healthcare, sustainability and cybersecurity has become an identity of this initiative, ANI quoted PM Modi as saying.
• Taking to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) PM Modi wrote, "Happy to have met my friend, PM Lawrence Wong. Had an excellent discussion on a wide range of issues. India cherishes the friendship with Singapore."

The bilateral meeting comes months after PM Modi began his third term as Prime Minister and Lawrence Wong took over as premier. Later in the day, PM Modi will meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. This will be followed by a business meeting with Prime Minister Modi will depart for New Delhi later in the day.

(With agency inputs)