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Vajpayee arrives in Singapore

Singapore, April 7
Heralding a fresh chapter in bilateral ties, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee arrived here today on a three-day visit, during which the two sides would have extensive parleys for cooperation in trade, telecom and other fields.

Mr Vajpayee was accorded a red-carpet welcome as his special Indian Airlines Boeing 747 aircraft touched down at Changi International Airport on the first leg of his two-nation tour, which would also take him to Cambodia.

The Prime Minister’s visit to Singapore and Cambodia is being described as significant in the context of New Delhi’s endeavour to foster strong ties with the economically powerful 10-nation ASEAN, with which India would hold a summit-level meeting in Phnom Penh in November.

Mr Vajpayee is accompanied by Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie and a strong business delegation from FICCI and CII.

“India is looking forward to enhancing its level of dialogue with ASEAN and establish a credible and respectable engagement with its members as part of its ‘look east’ policy,” a senior External Affairs Ministry official said.

Mr Vajpayee, who had postponed his visit to Singapore in October last, would meet President S.R. Nathan, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong and Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew tomorrow. The talks were expected to focus on boosting investment opportunities in India and on key issues of international and mutual concern.

During Mr Vajpayee’s three-day stay in Singapore, the two countries would sign an accord to facilitate opportunities of setting up projects and joint research in the telecom sector. PTI