Kuala Lumpur:

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday. The two leaders exchanged views and discussed cooperation in trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defense and other regional issues, including Myanmar.

Jaishankar, who was on a two-day official visit to Malaysia, met Anwar Ibrahim at the Prime Minister’s Office in a meeting that lasted about an hour, the official Bernama news agency reported.

Anwar Ibrahim and Jaishankar exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the fields of trade, technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defense and digital, as well as regional issues, including Myanmar, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement after the meeting.

Anwar Ibrahim promised to promote the establishment of branch campuses of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in Malaysia, it added.

The Prime Minister also expressed gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the assistance provided to Malaysia when the country suffered from rice shortage and hoped to further facilitate the import of Indian agricultural products.

Anwar Ibrahim said: “May the relationship between Malaysia and India continue to grow and prosper, benefiting the people of the two friendly countries.”

The statement said the Prime Minister looks forward to visiting India soon.

Jaishankar, who is in Kuala Lumpur on the third and final leg of his three-country tour of Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia, conveyed the cordial greetings of Prime Minister Modi.

“It is an honor to visit the Prime Minister of Malaysia @anwaribrahim. Convey the warm greetings of Prime Minister @narendramodi,” S Jaishankar said in a post on X.

Praising the Malaysian Prime Minister’s vision to strengthen bilateral relations, he said: “His vision to strengthen India-Malaysia relations in traditional and new era areas will help us set a more ambitious agenda for our relations.” “Benefiting from his commitment to the region Guidance and insights for development,” he added.

Earlier, Jaishankar met Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Haji Hassan.

In an official statement, Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the foreign ministers of the two countries had “productive and candid discussions, including an exchange of views on various aspects of bilateral affairs between Malaysia and India, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.”

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohd Sabu and Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liu Zhendong also attended the meeting.

Malaysia and India have a long-standing and substantive relationship, bound by a strong economic partnership and close people-to-people ties.

The statement said that in 2023, India was Malaysia’s 12th largest global trading partner, with total trade reaching 77.76 billion ringgit (US$16.53 billion).

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