New Delhi Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong assured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday that his government will care for Indian migrant workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two leaders discussed the Covid-19 situation in their countries and “agreed to work together on the challenges posed by the pandemic, keep supply chains intact, and keep essential supplies flowing”, according to a statement posted by Lee on Facebook.
As of Thursday, Singapore has recorded more than 11,000 Covid-19 cases, with a majority of them linked to work permit holders living in foreign worker dormitories, Channel News Asia reported. A total of 21 of these dormitories have been designated as isolation areas as the coronavirus was continuing to affect migrant workers.
“I thanked PM Modi for India’s help when we brought home some Singaporeans from India recently. I assured him that we will care for Indian migrant workers here, just as we care for Singaporeans,” Lee wrote in the Facebook post.
“The migrant workers made personal sacrifices to come to work here. They have made many contributions to Singapore, so we have a responsibility for them,” he added.
Lee also said he appreciated Modi’s “affirmation of our efforts in looking after the migrant workers, and his assurance that they will not forget this”.
Modi tweeted that he had exchanged views on the Covid-19 pandemic with Lee and “thanked him for the support and care being extended to Indian citizens in Singapore”. The India-Singapore strategic partnership can contribute to stability and prosperity in the post-Covid world, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Modi tweeted that he had exchanged views on the Covid-19 pandemic with Lee and “thanked him for the support and care being extended to Indian citizens in Singapore”. The India-Singapore strategic partnership can contribute to stability and prosperity in the post-Covid world, he added.
{{/usCountry}}Lee noted that Singapore was in the midst of a “circuit breaker” while India had implemented a nationwide lockdown since late March, “not a simple decision in a huge country of 1.3 billion people”.
Meanwhile, external affairs minister S Jaishankar discussed the Covid-19 crisis and ways to overcome the pandemic during phone conversations with his counterparts from the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Brazil on Thursday.
“The changing world of #corona era diplomacy. Strong friendships thrive even virtually. A busy day talking to Foreign Ministers of Russia, Brazil, United States, Saudi Arabia and Oman,” Jaishankar tweeted.
He said he and US secretary of state Mike Pompeo had discussed the Covid-19 responses of the two countries and the “importance of international cooperation” and working closely on the implications and consequences of the pandemic. They also exchanged views on the Afghanistan situation, he said.
State department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Pompeo and Jaishankar discussed bilateral and international cooperation to contain and mitigate Covid-19, including “ensuring the availability of pharmaceutical and medical supplies”.
Jaishankar tweeted that he and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the forthcoming BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) foreign ministers’ meeting and reviewed recent developments pertaining to Afghanistan. “Our cooperation on #coronavirus reflects our special friendship,” he said.
During his conversation with Oman’s foreign minister Yusuf bin Alawi, Jaishankar expressed his appreciation for Oman taking care of Indian expatriates and assured him of India’s support in the collective fight against the Coronavirus. The conversation also assumed significance as an Omani princess clarified on Wednesday she had no connection to a fake tweet posted by a person impersonating her.
Jaishankar thanked Saudi Arabian foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan al Saud for taking care of the Indian community in the kingdom and discussed “our shared interest in ensuring health and food security”.
In his phone conversation with Brazil’s foreign minister Ernesto Araujo, Jaishankar reviewed the follow up of President Jair Bolsonaro’s visit to India in January and exchanged notes on global issues, including the pandemic.