Singapore FM’s visit focused on enhancing cooperation in trade, infrastructure and digital technologies: FO

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Singaporean counterpart Dr Vivian Balakrishnan discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, infrastructure development and digital technologies during the latter’s visit to Pakistan, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday.</p> <p>At the invitation of Dar, Dr Balakrishnan <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2040938">undertook</a> an official visit to Pakistan on Friday.</p> <p>According to a statement issued by the FO today, the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and international developments.</p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media-- media--embed media--uneven media--tweet' data-original-src='https://x.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/2116425476612984996'> <div class='media__item media__item--twitter '><span> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"> <a href="https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/2116425476612984996"></a> </blockquote> </span></div> </figure> <p>“Deepening of Pakistan’s engagement with Asean, including in the context of Singapore’s upcoming Asean chairmanship in 2027, also came under discussion,” the statement added.</p> <p>The two ministers also exchanged a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in disaster management between Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Singapore’s Civil Defence Force (SCDF).</p> <p>The MoU aims to strengthen cooperation in disaster preparedness, response and resilience, the FO said.</p> <p>Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the visit reflected their shared commitment to further strengthening their longstanding partnership, it added.</p> <p>On Friday, Dr Balakrishnan <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/2040938/dpm-dar-singaporean-fm-discuss-ways-to-enhance-cooperation-in-trade-investment">met </a>Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir at the General Headquarters, where the two discussed regional security and avenues for bilateral cooperation.</p> <p>He also called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who expressed admiration for Singapore’s “remarkable economic transformation” and its achievements in innovation and development.</p> <p>The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international developments and reaffirmed their commitment to continued engagement and cooperation at bilateral and multilateral fora.</p> <p>Separately, Dar discussed with the visiting diplomat the possible resumption of direct flights between Pakistan and Singapore to facilitate business travel and closer contact between the two peoples.</p> This development from dawn.com highlights ongoing changes in the sector.