Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for the 47th ASEAN Summit, opting instead to participate virtually.
PM Modi to Join Summit Online Due to Deepavali Celebrations
“We touched on the organization of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur at the end of this month. He informed me that he will attend virtually due to the ongoing Deepavali celebrations in India at that time,” Anwar Ibrahim said.
“I respect his decision and extended my greetings for a happy Deepavali to him and the entire people of India,” he added.
Anwar Highlights Strengthening of Bilateral Ties with India
The Malaysian Prime Minister also detailed his recent conversation with a colleague of Prime Minister Modi, noting efforts to strengthen Malaysia–India relations.
“Last night, I received a phone call from a colleague of the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi, to discuss efforts to strengthen Malaysia-India bilateral relations to a more strategic and comprehensive level. India remains an important partner for Malaysia in the fields of trade and investment, in addition to close cooperation in the sectors of technology, education, and regional security,” Anwar said.
He further reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to regional collaboration, stating, “Malaysia will remain committed to strengthening Malaysia-India relations and further enhancing ASEAN-India cooperation towards a more peaceful and prosperous region.”
Trump Announces Trip to Asia, Cancels Meeting with Putin
Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump announced that he would embark on a diplomatic trip to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan, which will include a significant meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Trump also revealed the cancellation of his planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing the absence of diplomatic progress.
“It didn’t feel right to me,” Trump said, explaining his decision. “Next week, we’ll be going to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan. In South Korea, I’ll be meeting with President Xi of China. We’ll have a pretty long meeting scheduled. We can work out a lot of our questions and our doubts and our tremendous assets together… We cancelled the meeting with President Putin. It didn’t feel right to me. It didn’t feel like we were going to get to the place we have to get, so I cancelled it…”
The cancellation came after Russia rejected Trump’s proposed ceasefire plan in Ukraine. Trump expressed optimism about his upcoming meeting with Xi, saying he hopes to discuss energy and oil issues and explore ways to push Russia towards a negotiated peace agreement.
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