ISLAMABAD (The Thursday Times) — Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held talks with Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in Islamabad on Friday, and the two sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity and skills development, the Foreign Office said.
Balakrishnan, who is on an official visit at Dar’s invitation, was received at the airport by the Foreign Office’s Director General for East Asia and Pacific before calling on Dar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for delegation-level talks.
According to the Foreign Office, the two ministers reviewed the “longstanding and friendly relations” between Pakistan and Singapore as the countries mark 60 years of diplomatic ties. They stressed the importance of sustained high-level exchanges and agreed to promote business-to-business links and people-to-people contacts. Dar also raised the possible resumption of direct flights between Pakistan and Singapore “to facilitate business travel and close contact between our peoples”.
Dar and Balakrishnan also discussed cooperation at multilateral forums and Pakistan’s growing engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), particularly with Singapore set to take over the bloc’s chairmanship in 2027.
Exchanging views on regional and global developments, Dar emphasised the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving disputes and securing lasting peace and stability, the statement said.
Dar and Balakrishnan later exchanged a memorandum of understanding on disaster management cooperation between Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which the Foreign Office said reflected both countries’ commitment to better disaster preparedness and response and to building resilience against natural disasters.
Balakrishnan later called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who praised Singapore’s economic transformation and its record in innovation. The two discussed expanding trade and investment and cooperation in the digital economy, financial technology, infrastructure, logistics, small and medium-sized enterprises and services.
