<p><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>Why in News?</span></b></span></span></span></p>
<p style=”margin-bottom:11px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>India and Singapore signed a strategic partnership agreement under which both the countries’ navies will support and cooperate with each other for submarine rescue missions.</span></span></span></span></p>
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<li style=”margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>The decision was taken during the fifth India-Singapore defence ministerial dialogue. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the fifth India-Singapore Defence Ministers’ Dialogue along with Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Defence, Singapore.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style=”margin-bottom:11px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>Significance:</span></b></span></span></span></p>
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<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>It is one of the major steps taken by the Indian government to strengthen ties with South East/Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>Defence and security engagements between India and Singapore have broadened significantly in scale and scope across all three services of the armed forces as well as in the areas of defence technology and industry.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>Both countries have also found common ground on multilateral fora and engagements.</span></span></span></span></li>
<li style=”margin-bottom:11px; margin-left:8px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>Full support towards the early conclusion of agreements to facilitate the conduct of live firings and to establish reciprocal arrangements for the cross-attendance of military courses was also conveyed by both the heads of the government.</span></span></span></span></li>
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<p style=”margin-bottom:11px”><span style=”font-size:11pt”><span style=”line-height:107%”><span style=”font-family:Calibri,sans-serif”><b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>Source</span></b><span style=”font-family:"Cambria",serif”>: PIB</span></span></span></span></p>