Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday received a phone call from his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison, who congratulated him on the results of the general election last Friday.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: "The prime ministers reaffirmed the excellent relations between Singapore and Australia and looked forward to working together to advance bilateral cooperation."

In addition, the leaders exchanged views on tackling the Covid-19 pandemic and on taking steps towards economic recovery.

These include the gradual re-opening of borders "in a safe and calibrated manner to facilitate business and essential travel".

Singapore is currently in talks with Australia, as well as several other countries, to establish "green lanes" for such travel.

During their call, the leaders also discussed regional and global developments, and PM Lee welcomed Australia's continued engagement of Asean and the region, the statement added.

Both prime ministers had held the 5th Singapore-Australia Leaders' Meeting in March via videoconference, during which they witnessed the signing of a treaty on military training and training area development, and of two pacts to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence and data innovation.

Cheryl Tan