PM Modi to meet US VP Mike Pence in Singapore

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet United States Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the 13th East Asia Summit in Singapore on November 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed.

Addressing a presser here, Secretary (East) in the MEA, Vijay Thakur Singh said, "We can confirm that a meeting will take between the Prime Minister and the US Vice President on November 14. We will brief you later about the meeting and the outcomes of that meeting."

Delving on Prime Minister Modi's two-day visit to Singapore, Singh said that this would be Prime Minister's second visit to the island nation. Previously, he undertook a visit to Singapore in June.

"He will leave for Singapore on 14th morning and leave for Delhi late afternoon of 15th November. His first engagement would be a keynote address in the Singapore FinTech festival, where there is an Indian pavilion. It is one of the largest festivals. This year's FinTech festival will be the third edition. This will be the first time a head of government will give a keynote address. This is because India has done lots of work in leveraging technology for innovation, development and financial inclusion," Singh elaborated.

On November 15, the Prime Minister will participate in the ASEAN-India breakfast summit, followed by East Asia lunch retreat. After that, Prime Minister Modi would take part in the East Asia Summit in a plenary setting. After the meetings, the Prime Minister will then depart for India.

Prime Minister Modi will also meet with the participants of the India-Singapore hackathon programme. "There has been an enthusiastic participation where about 80 participants are participating," Singh said.

In the East Asia summit, regional and global issues would be discussed between the leaders. Prominent issues such as ICT, Smart Cities project, maritime cooperation and terrorism would be on the agenda during the plurilateral meeting.

"We hope that the Prime Minister's visit would give a new momentum to our relationship and engagement with ASEAN and East Asia Summit and would also strengthen India's relations with Singapore. India has been engaging with ASEAN countries because we have an active Act East Policy, thereby having continued engagement with our eastern neighbours," Singh said.