PM Modi to visit Malaysia to bolster strategic ties
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New Delhi/Kuala Lumpur: 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.
