ISLAMABAD:At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore, undertook an official visit to Pakistan on Friday.

The joint declaration issued by the Foreign Office Spokesperson Ambassador Sajjad Haider Khan at the end of the visit of FM of Singapore says that the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and international developments. Discussions focused on strengthening cooperation in trade and investment, with particular emphasis on agriculture, infrastructure development, digital technologies, fintech and services sector. They also exchanged views on enhancing collaboration in cybersecurity, climate resilience, capacity-building, vocational training, skills development and people-to-people exchanges.

Deepening of Pakistan's engagement with ASEAN, including in the context of Singapore's upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2027 also came under discussion.

The two Ministers exchanged a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in disaster management between Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Singapore's Civil Defence Force (SCDF). The MoU signifies joint efforts to strengthening disaster preparedness, response and resilience.

Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of establishment of bilateral relations, the visit reflects the shared commitment of the two friendly countries to further build on their decades-old partnership.