By Anadolu staff
France and Singapore will upgrade their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership and expand cooperation in areas including intelligence sharing and defense, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said Friday.
“Under the new partnership, we will enhance cooperation in other areas, including deployment of defense technology and critical and emerging technologies,” Wong said during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, Singapore daily The Straits Times reported.
The two countries signed 13 agreements covering nuclear energy, defense cooperation, joint research and mutual protection of classified information.
Wong said the nations would also “deepen our cooperation in existing sectors and expand our collaboration in new areas like decarbonization and digitalization.”
He also announced plans to establish more high-level dialogue between senior officials.
Macron arrived Thursday in Singapore for a two-day visit, the final stop of his Southeast Asia tour after Vietnam and Indonesia.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid