New Delhi/Kuala Lumpur, Feb 4 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay an official visit to Malaysia later this week at the invitation of Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Wednesday.
The February 7-8 visit would be Prime Minister Modi’s third to Malaysia, and the first after the elevation of the India-Malaysia bilateral relationship to a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ in August 2024.
During the visit, the MEA stated, PM Modi will hold bilateral discussions with his Malaysian counterpart and will also interact with members of the Indian community, as well as industry and business representatives.
The 10th India-Malaysia CEO Forum is also scheduled to be held coinciding with the visit of the Prime Minister.
“India and Malaysia share long-standing bonds of friendship, based on historical, civilisational and cultural connections. The relationship is further strengthened by the presence of a 2.9 million strong Indian diaspora in Malaysia, the third largest in the world,” read a statement issued by the MEA.
“The India-Malaysia relationship is multi-faceted and growing. The forthcoming visit of Prime Minister serves as an opportunity for both leaders to review the entire gamut of bilateral cooperation, ranging from trade and investment, defence, security and maritime cooperation, to digital and financial technology, energy, healthcare, education, culture, tourism, people-to-people ties; as well as to set the path for future engagement for mutual benefit,” it added.
Last October, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar had met Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Haji Hasan on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, discussing the ongoing progress in bilateral cooperation.
During the meeting, EAM Jaishankar and Mohamad Haji Hasan had also discussed the current situation in Myanmar.
Malaysia hosted the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits on the theme of ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’ under its chairship.
The EAM represented Prime Minister Modi at the 20th East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
In the same month, during his virtual address at the 22nd India-ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Modi had declared that the 21st century is the century of India and ASEAN, underscoring the profound historical, cultural and civilisational ties binding the two regions.
The summit, chaired by Malaysia, marked PM Modi’s 12th consecutive participation in the annual dialogue and served as a platform for leaders to assess bilateral progress and chart deeper cooperation. In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Modi extended heartfelt congratulations to Timor-Leste upon its formal induction as ASEAN’s 11th member, welcoming its delegation and pledging India’s support for its human development.
He reaffirmed India’s commitment to ASEAN Unity, ASEAN Centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, while applauding the bloc’s adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. Turning to economic collaboration, PM Modi urged an expedited review of the ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement (AITIGA) to unleash the full potential of trade relations, benefiting more than two billion people and enhancing regional resilience.
In his virtual address, Prime Minister Modi also condemned terrorism as a grave menace to global peace and called for concerted international action. Aligning with Malaysian chairmanship’s theme of ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, PM Modi had also unveiled an ambitious suite of initiatives – including that of India providing robust backing for the ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2026-2030).
–IANS
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