Senior intelligence officials from 20 countries held secret meeting in Singapore

WORLD, June 04 (YPA) – Senior officials from about 20 major intelligence agencies in the world held a secret meeting on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Security Dialogue forum in Singapore this weekend, Reuters quoted five sources as saying.

The sources said such meetings are organized by the Singapore government and were held secretly in a separate location on the sidelines of the security forum several years ago.

According to the sources, the United States was represented at the meeting by the director of the National Intelligence Service, Avril Haynes, while China was also among the countries present, despite tensions between Washington and Beijing.

An Indian source confirmed that Samant Goel, head of the Indian Foreign Intelligence Research and Analysis Department, also participated in the meeting.

One person familiar with the discussions described the meeting as “an important element of the international shadow agenda.”,

He added: “Given the scope of the international presence, it is not a festival of traditional crafts, but a way to promote a deeper understanding of intentions and the reality of things.”

E.M