Singapore High Commissioner Simon Wong marks ASEAN Day with first-ever ASEAN flag illumination at Delhi’s Qutub Minar

New Delhi : Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, on Friday marked ASEAN Day by celebrating the first-ever illumination of the ASEAN flag on Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar, highlighting the close partnership between ASEAN member states and India.
Sharing pictures of the event on X, Wong wrote, “Very happy to celebrate #ASEAN Day with our ANDC Family in New Delhi with the first-ever @ASEAN flag illumination of the #QutubMinar. Many thanks to our Philippines Chair.”
The event comes amid deepening India-Singapore ties following the 19th round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) held in New Delhi on Thursday, where both countries reviewed progress under the Roadmap for the India-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) and discussed regional and global developments.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the consultations were led by Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon on the Indian side and Permanent Secretary (Policy) Luke Goh of Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The two sides reviewed cooperation across the eight priority areas identified under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Roadmap, which is being implemented through the India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR).
The discussions covered economic cooperation, skills development, digitalisation, sustainability, connectivity, healthcare and medicine, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, as well as defence and security cooperation.
The MEA said both sides also exchanged views on regional and global developments and reaffirmed the importance of close coordination at international and regional forums, including ASEAN, to address shared challenges.
During his visit to India, Permanent Secretary Luke Goh also called on External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and held meetings with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Dr Rajiv Mani, Secretary, Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice.
Sharing details of his meeting with Goh on X, Jaishankar said the discussions focused on strengthening bilateral engagement and exploring new opportunities in manufacturing, technology, food security and energy flows.
India and Singapore elevated their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Singapore in September 2024, with both countries continuing to expand cooperation across strategic, economic and technological sectors.