PM Modi to visit Brunei, Singapore in first week of Sept to boost ties

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Brunei on September 3-4, seeking to further strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all existing sectors, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Friday. This will be the first bilateral visit of an Indian prime minister to Brunei, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at his media briefing. The visit will also mark 40 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between India and Brunei, he said. From Brunei, Modi is slated to visit Singapore on September 4-5 at the invitation of his Singaporean counterpart, the MEA said. Later, in a statement, the MEA said the prime minister is scheduled to visit Brunei Darussalam on September 3-4 at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. Brunei is an important partner in India's "Act East" policy and its vision of Indo-Pacific. The visit will further strengthen India's cooperation with Brunei in all existing sectors, including defence cooperation, trade and investment, energy,