As he embarked on a visit to Brunei and Singapore, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the two nations are “important partners” in India’s ‘Act East’ policy and asserted that his visits would further strengthen the partnership with the two countries and the larger ASEAN region. Modi is on a two-nation visit from September 3-5, starting with Brunei.

“Today, I am embarking on a first ever bilateral visit to Brunei Darussalam. As we celebrate the 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 advance our historical relationship to new heights,” he said in his departure statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA).

The visit will further strengthen India’s cooperation with Brunei in all existing sectors, including defence cooperation, trade and investment, energy, space technology, health cooperation, capacity building, culture as well as people-to-people exchanges and explore avenues for cooperation in newer sectors, the MEA earlier said. Modi’s visit to Brunei is the first bilateral visit of an Indian prime minister to that country.

“From Brunei, I will travel to Singapore on September 4. 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 with leaders of the Singapore’s vibrant business community,” Modi said.

The prime minister said he looked forward to his discussions to “deepen our Strategic Partnership with Singapore”, particularly in new and emerging areas of advanced manufacturing, digitalisation, and sustainable development.

“Both countries are important partners in our Act East Policy and the Indo-Pacific Vision. I am confident that my visits would further strengthen our partnership with Brunei, Singapore and the larger ASEAN region,” Modi said.