India’s External Affairs Ministry released a statement announcing that Dr. S. Jaishankar will travel to Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines next week. The announcement, made on March 16th, said the Minister accepted the invitation from officials of each country, and the trip will last from March 23rd to the 27th.
The trip will focus on bilateral relations between the nations, and the officials will discuss regional issues that are of mutual concern. India’s visit to the three countries comes as the country is increasing its focus in the Southeast Asia region.
For example, Singapore is a major trade partner of India and one of the country’s closest allies in the Association of South Eastern Asian Nations (ASEAN). The Philippines and India are defense partners, as the Philippines purchased the BrahMos missile system and is looking into procuring more Indian-made defense equipment.
