Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim Arrives In New Delhi, To Hold Talks With Modi On Tuesday

<p>Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrived in India on his first visit as the prime minister on Sunday. Ibrahim, who landed in New Delhi on a three-day visit, was received by Minister of State V Somanna.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p>The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Ibrahim's visit will pave way for charting a multi-sectoral cooperation agenda between the two countries.</p> <p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with his Malaysian counterpart on Tuesday following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements including one on recruitment of Indian workers.</p> <p>The decision to ink a pact on recruitment of Indian workers assumes significance as illegal immigration and human trafficking from India to Malaysia are among major concerns of the two governments.</p> <p>On August 20, Ibrahim will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan and will visit the Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.</p> <p>Following this, he will hold talks with Prime Minister Modi. PM Modi will host a luncheon for the Malaysian leader, according to the MEA. Later in the day, Ibrahim is scheduled to call on President <a title="Droupadi Murmu" href="https://ift.tt/fq5QNwS" data-type="interlinkingkeywords">Droupadi Murmu</a>.</p> <p>"India and Malaysia have strong historical and socio-cultural linkages. Our bilateral relationship was elevated to the status of Enhanced Strategic Partnership in 2015 during the visit of Prime Minister Modi," the MEA said in a statement.</p> <p>"As both countries enter the second decade of enhanced strategic partnership next year, the visit of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would pave the way for further strengthening of India-Malaysia bilateral ties by charting out a multi-sectoral cooperation agenda for the future," it said.</p> <p>The overall ties between the two countries have been on an upswing in the last few years.</p> <p>India's defence relations with Malaysia have gained momentum in recent years. The MoU on defence cooperation, signed in 1993, is the cornerstone of defence relations between the two countries.</p> <p>In July last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kuala Lumpur during which both sides approved an amendment in the memorandum of understanding on India-Malaysia defence cooperation signed in 1993.</p> <p>The defence ministry had said that the amendment will act as an "enabler" to expand bilateral defence cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.</p> <p>The trade ties between the two countries are also on an upward trajectory. Malaysia is India's 13th largest trade partner and India is among Malaysia's 10 biggest trade partners.</p> <p>The two-way trade volume was around USD 20 billion in 2022-23.&nbsp;Both sides are set to ink several pacts during Prime Minister Ibrahim's visit to New Delhi.</p> <p>India and Malaysia are in the process of firming up a framework for conducting trade in national currencies as well.</p> <p>The two sides are also initiating a process to review the 12-year-old comprehensive economic cooperation agreement to include new domains and items.</p>

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