Narendra Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Brunei Darussalam.

Narendra Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Brunei Darussalam.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday left for a three-day official visit to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore. He will first visit Brunei Darussalam on September 3-4 at the invitation of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah. He will then visit Singapore at the invitation of Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. The visit is scheduled between September 4-5. PM Modi will become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Brunei for a bilateral visit. It is being seen as an important step in strengthening ties between the two countries. "Today, I am leaving on my first bilateral visit to Brunei Darussalam. As we celebrate 40 years of our diplomatic relations, I look forward to my meetings with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and other esteemed members of the Royal Family to take our historic ties to new heights," the PM said in his departure statement.

"From Brunei, I will travel to Singapore on 4 September. I look forward to the opportunity to meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. I will also meet leaders from Singapore's vibrant business community. I look forward to my discussions to further deepen our strategic partnership with Singapore, especially in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalisation and sustainable development," PM Modi said in the statement. "Both countries are important partners in our Act East Policy and Indo-Pacific vision. I am confident that my visits will further strengthen our partnership with Brunei, Singapore and the larger ASEAN region," PM Modi said in the statement. Last month, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Brunei Foreign Minister Erywan Pehin Yusof on the sidelines of the ASEAN meetings in Vientiane and jointly launched a logo celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Brunei Sultan first met in November 2014 during the 25th ASEAN Summit in Nay Pyi Taw. They met once again during the 2017 East Asia Summit held in Manila. In January 2018, the Brunei Sultan visited India along with 10 ASEAN Heads of State and Government for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit. These leaders were also the 'Guests of Honour' at India's 69th Republic Day celebrations on January 26, 2018. In 2013, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Brunei Darussalam to attend the 11th ASEAN-India Summit and the 8th EAS Summit. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Brunei Darussalam government has been supporting India's 'Look East' and 'Act East' policies to expand and deepen cooperation with ASEAN.

Indian naval and coast guard ships have regularly visited Brunei and two Indian defence companies - Bharat Electronics Limited and MKU Limited - participated for the first time in the Defence Industry Exhibition organised by the Brunei Armed Forces in June 2024. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and Crown Prince Al-Muhtadee Billah visited the Indian stall during the expo and appreciated the participation of Indian companies. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, currently around 14,500 Indians live in Brunei Darussalam out of a total population of about 450,500, more than half of whom are Indian migrant semi and unskilled workers, working in the oil and gas industry construction, retail trade, etc.

After Brunei, PM Modi will travel to Singapore - a country with which India is exploring the possibility of enhancing cooperation in digital, skill development, sustainability, healthcare, connectivity and advanced manufacturing sectors. Earlier this week, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw led the Indian delegation at the 2nd India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) held in Singapore.