PM Modi (PTI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a two-day visit to Malaysia beginning Saturday to shore up bilateral ties in areas of trade, investment, energy, and maritime security. It would be Prime Minister Modi’s third visit 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, he will hold bilateral discussions with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said announcing his February 7 to 8 trip. Modi will also interact with members of the Indian community, as well as industry and business representatives, it said. 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 MEA said. “The relationship is further strengthened by the presence of a 2.9 million strong Indian diaspora in Malaysia, the third largest in the world,” it said. The forthcoming visit of the 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, and people-to-people ties, the MEA said in a statement. It will also give both leaders an opportunity to set the path for future engagement for mutual benefit, it added.