SINGAPORE: India's substantive relationship with Singapore is set for a boost during External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's prospective visit here from June 18 to 20. Before reaching the City-State, Mr. Mukherjee is scheduled to hold an intensive dialogue with top Indonesian leaders in Jakarta, where he arrives on Sunday.

The prime focus of his agenda in Jakarta is to "operationalise the new strategic partnership" that was agreed upon during Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to India in 2005. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed to set up a vocational training centre in the tsunami-devastated Aceh province of Indonesia.

Economic, defence issues

Bilateral economic and defence issues as also India's growing engagement with East Asia, where Indonesia is a sub-regional leader, are likely to be the main talking points in Jakarta.

In Singapore, Mr. Mukherjee is expected to leverage its status as a "thought leader" in the region so as to carry forward India's strategic aims and global priorities in foreign policy, according to East Asian sources.

He will deliver three thematic speeches here, outlining the strategic directions in New Delhi's foreign policy, its evolving economic diplomacy, and the City-State's niche role as a historical outpost during India's freedom struggle. He will meet all the top Singapore leaders.

New mechanisms

The visit to the City-State has been planned as an exercise to fashion "new mechanisms to match the maturity in bilateral relations," according to India's High Commissioner to Singapore S. Jaishankar.

Singapore, which is looking for greater clarity about India's policy regarding foreign participation in the special economic zones, indicated that a Joint Ministerial Committee Agreement would be signed by Mr. Mukherjee and Foreign Minister George Yeo on June 19. On a different plane, an India Business Forum will be launched on the following day. As a Singapore-based entity for and by the corporate players from India, the forum is being promoted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) with support from the governments of both countries. The CII hopes the forum could later serve the interests of Indian businesses across Southeast Asia.

Ahead of Mr. Mukherjee's visit, senior officials from India and Indonesia, led by Secretary N. Ravi and Director General Primo Alui Joelianto respectively, on Saturday completed talks to set the tone for the next Joint Commission meeting on Monday, the third in a series.

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