PM Modi to visit Malaysia on February 7 as both countries look at bolstering strategic ties

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 WednesdayThe February 78 visit would be Prime Minister Modis third to Malaysia and the first after the elevation of the IndiaMalaysia bilateral relationship to a lsquoComprehensive Strategic Partnershiprsquo in August 2024During 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 representativesThe 10th IndiaMalaysia CEO Forum is also scheduled to be held coinciding with the visit of the Prime MinisterIndia and Malaysia share longstanding bonds of friendship based on historical civilisational and cultural connections The relationship is further strengthened by the presence of a 29 million strong Indian diaspora in Malaysia the third largest in the world read a statement issued by the MEAThe IndiaMalaysia relationship is multifaceted 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 peopletopeople ties as well as to set the path for future engagement for mutual benefit it addedLast 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 cooperationDuring the meeting EAM Jaishankar and Mohamad Haji Hasan had also discussed the current situation in MyanmarMalaysia hosted the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits on the theme of Inclusivity and Sustainability under its chairshipThe EAM represented Prime Minister Modi at the 20th East Asia Summit in Kuala LumpurIn the same month during his virtual address at the 22nd IndiaASEAN 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 regionsThe summit chaired by Malaysia marked PM Modis 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 TimorLeste upon its formal induction as ASEANrsquos 11th member welcoming its delegation and pledging Indiarsquos support for its human developmentHe reaffirmed Indiarsquos commitment to ASEAN Unity ASEAN Centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the IndoPacific while applauding the blocrsquos adoption of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 Turning to economic collaboration PM Modi urged an expedited review of the ASEANIndia Free Trade Agreement AITIGA to unleash the full potential of trade relations benefiting more than two billion people and enhancing regional resilienceIn 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 chairmanships theme of Inclusivity and Sustainability PM Modi had also unveiled an ambitious suite of initiatives including that of India providing robust backing for the ASEANIndia Plan of Action 20262030This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever