ISLAMABAD: Singapore and Pakistan on Friday pledged to boost trade and investment between their business communities and exchanged an agreement on disaster management cooperation, during the first visit by Singapore’s foreign minister to the South Asian country in more than two decades.

The visit signals a push to turn decades of warm diplomatic ties into stronger commercial links. The two countries, which are marking 60 years of relations, have long struggled to match their political goodwill with trade, and earlier talks on a free trade agreement stalled without a deal. For Pakistan, which is seeking new sources of investment, closer ties with Singapore also offer a gateway to Southeast Asia as the city-state prepares to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2027.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad, Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan said trade was the “first order of business” for the two countries, who are marking 60 years of diplomatic relations. Earlier negotiations on a free trade agreement between them stalled without producing a deal.

“Let me just highlight a few of the areas where we’re working furiously to get the homework done. First, trade and economic cooperation. To be very candid, at a diplomatic level, we’ve got excellent ties,” Balakrishnan said.

“We need to facilitate greater trade and investment flows. We need to strengthen the links, especially between SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises], between businessmen. And they need to meet, they need to know each other, they need to understand the business opportunities and the risks on both sides.”

He said governments also had a role “to facilitate these interactions and to identify new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.”

Dar said the two sides had agreed to exchange business delegations and build stronger ties between their chambers of commerce, and noted that Pakistan had reopened its trade and investment office at its high commission in Singapore.

“The reopening of the Pakistan Trade and Investment Office, as I said, at our High Commission in Singapore, is a testament of Pakistan’s resolve to promote stronger B2B ties with our great friendly country, Singapore,” he said.

Balakrishnan identified carbon markets as a new area for cooperation.

“It will be another promising avenue to attract investments into projects in Pakistan that reduce emissions while supporting sustainable development,” he said.

Following their talks, the two sides exchanged a memorandum of understanding between Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority and the Singapore Civil Defense Force.

“Through this MOU, we hope to explore cooperation in areas including early warning systems, the sharing of best practices, strengthening search and rescue capabilities, as well as hopefully conducting joint training and exercises,” Balakrishnan said.

Pakistan is among the countries most vulnerable to climate disasters, and Singapore contributed to relief efforts after the devastating floods of 2022 and 2025.