‘Depth in our partnership’: PM Modi hails India-Malaysia relations in Kuala Lumpur
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Depth in our partnership’: PM Modi hails India-Malaysia relations in Kuala Lumpur")
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks at joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur. Photograph: (X/@narendramodi)
This comes during the Indian leader’s two-day visit to Malaysia. PM Modi also received a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at the Perdana Putra.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the partnership between India and Malaysia during a joint press conference with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday (Feb 8). He said that the two nations share “really special” relations and have “deep ties” between the people. This comes during the Indian leader’s two-day visit to Malaysia. PM Modi also received a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at the Perdana Putra.
“India-Malaysia relations are really special. We are maritime neighbours. For centuries, there have been deep ties between people of our two countries. Today, Malaysia is the second biggest nation in the world that has an Indian-origin population. Our civilisations are connected to shared cultural heritage and democratic values,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi added that in recent years, relations between New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur have “picked up a new pace.” He added that cooperation between the countries in the energy, infrastructure and manufacturing sectors has strengthened. He added that mutual investment in the digital economy, biotech and IT has also increased, along with deepened ties in tourism and people-to-people. He added, “Drawing inspiration from these achievements, we have decided to bring in unprecedented speed and depth in our partnership.”
“In the security sector, we will strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and maritime security. We will also make defence cooperation more comprehensive. Along with AI and digital technologies, we will further advance our partnership in semiconductor, health and food security. The CEO forum organised today has thrown open new opportunities for trade and investment. We will pave a path to economic transformation through strategic trust,” PM Modi said.
The Indian prime minister noted that he could not visit Malaysia for the ASEAN Summit last year, “but I had promised my dear friend that I would visit Malaysia at the earliest. For my first foreign visit of 2026, I have come to Malaysia.”
Hailing ties with India, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, “India is growing by leaps and bounds, which is one spectacular rise in the international economic trade scene, and therefore Malaysia in the ASEAN context certainly benefits immensely if we could secure more ways and opportunities to collaborate with India to extend beyond the $18.59 billion that we achieved in 2025.”
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He added, “One remarkable feat is this decision to use local currency as far as possible... Education remains pivotal. Many Malaysians were educated in India, and there is a growing number of Indian students in Malaysia too, but since the last decade or so, under the premiership of my good friend Prime Minister Modi, you have seen the spectacular recognition of Indian centres of excellence in education. That's not only comparable, but many of them have achieved outstanding recognition beyond the known institutions in the West. Therefore, we would certainly explore this to increase the number of students in the disciplines and fields to study in India.”
