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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim met ministers and delegations from both countries at the Perdana Putra building here on Sunday, as part of the high-level engagements during PM Modi's two-day official visit to Malaysia.
The delegation-level meeting at Perdana Putra followed the ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour accorded to PM Modi at the same building, where the two leaders came together with key ministers and senior officials from India and Malaysia. The ceremonial reception at Perdana Putra took place after PM Modi's arrival in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally welcomed him at the airport. Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Ramanan Ramakrishnan and Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman bin Awang Sauni were also present to extend the welcome. The arrival ceremony featured a red-carpet welcome accompanied by traditional music and dance performances, celebrating the shared cultural heritage between India and Malaysia. Reflecting on the warm reception, PM Modi posted on X, "Deeply touched by the warm welcome extended by my friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the airport. I look forward to our conversations and to further strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and Malaysia." Later, both prime ministers travelled together in the same vehicle to the venue of an Indian community event in Kuala Lumpur, which PM Anwar Ibrahim also attended. Sharing an update on X, PM Modi wrote, "Celebrating the India-Malaysia people-to-people connect! PM Anwar Ibrahim and I are heading to the community programme in Kuala Lumpur." Following these welcoming engagements and the meeting with ministers and delegations at Perdana Putra, PM Modi and PM Anwar Ibrahim are scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral discussions on Sunday, February 8. The talks are expected to result in multiple agreements aimed at expanding cooperation across various sectors. In his departure statement before the visit, PM Modi had set the tone by highlighting the priorities of the engagement. "The historic ties between India and Malaysia have seen steadfast progress in recent years. I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and further enhancing our comprehensive strategic partnership," he said. "We will aim to deepen our defence and security ties, enhance our economic and innovation partnership, and expand our collaboration into new domains." External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal underscored the importance of the visit, stating that it carries a "rich agenda and will give a major boost to the special partnership between India and Malaysia". "The visit is expected to impart significant momentum to our close & multi-faceted partnership," he added. This marks PM Narendra Modi's third visit to Malaysia and his first since the two countries upgraded their bilateral relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in August 2024. India and Malaysia share deep-rooted relations shaped by common history, civilisation and culture. These ties are further reinforced by Malaysia's Indian-origin population of about 2.9 million, which forms the world's third-largest overseas Indian community. (ANI)
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