New Delhi [India], August 20 (ANI): India and Malaysia elevated the ties between the two nations to a comprehensive strategic partnership and signed multiple agreements in the areas of education, labour repatriation and tourism, during the visit of Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
PM Ibrahim was on his first visit to India since assuming office and it came at a time when India and Malaysia have marked around 10 years of enhanced strategic partnership.
“Both Prime Ministers recognized that the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between India and Malaysia established in 2015 has helped in advancing bilateral ties into a multidimensional one. Recognising that the relations between India and Malaysia have evolved and matured across a broad spectrum of areas and that this deepening of engagement has significantly widened and intensified the relations, the Prime Ministers determined that the timing is propitious for relations to be further consolidated into a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” the joint statement by the two countries stated.
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The two leaders noted with great satisfaction the deep-rooted ties of friendship and socio-cultural linkages between India and Malaysia, and its peoples.
PM Modi and PM Ibrahim held discussions on the entire range of bilateral cooperation including political, defence and security cooperation, economic and trade, digital technologies, start-ups, fintech, energy including renewables, healthcare, higher education, culture, tourism and people-to-people relations.
The two leaders condemned terrorism and agreed to call upon states to reject terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. Both Prime Ministers underlined that no country should harbour terrorists and agreed to work together to bring perpetrators of terrorism to justice expeditiously, in accordance with domestic laws and international conventions, the joint statement read.
“Both leaders witnessed the exchange of MoUs on cooperation in the fields of Recruitment, Employment and Repatriation of Workers; Ayurveda and other Traditional Systems of Medicines; Digital Technologies; Culture, Arts and Heritage; Tourism; Public Administration and Governance Reforms; Youth and Sports; and Financial Services between Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA) and International Financial Services Centres Authority, India (IFSCA),” it added.
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PM Modi and PM Ibrahim acknowledged the steady and strong cooperation in bilateral defence and security partnership as one of the core pillars of the Enhanced Strategic Partnership. Both sides agreed to further intensify defence cooperation through regular exchanges and dialogues, exercises and capacity-building cooperation.
Both Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with bilateral trade and acknowledged that trade is an important fulcrum of the two countries’ Enhanced Strategic Partnership. They also welcomed the fact that bilateral trade has reached a record high of USD 19.5 billion.
Both sides agreed to support and expedite the review process of ASEAN- India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make it more effective, user-friendly, simple, and trade-facilitative for businesses, aiming to achieve a substantial conclusion in 2025 and to strengthen supply chains between India and ASEAN countries.
The two leaders reiterated their commitment to respecting freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce, based on the principles of international law, as reflected notably in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.
They also welcomed the signing of the MoU on Digital Technologies and encouraged the early convening of Malaysia-India Digital Council to guide engagement in the digital realm and accelerate collaboration in this area such as Digital Public Infrastructure, digital B2B partnership, digital capacity building, cyber security, emerging technologies such as 5G, quantum computing, cloud computing, Internet of Things among others, between the two countries.
The two Prime Ministers welcomed the recent initiatives to promote greater tourism and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, particularly the relaxation of visa regimes by both countries.
Reaffirming the importance of India’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with ASEAN, Malaysia appreciated India’s full support for ASEAN centrality and Malaysia’s upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025. Malaysia also welcomed more engagements between ASEAN and India through ASEAN-led mechanisms towards further consolidating the existing Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the joint statement read.
Both Prime Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation and coordination at the UN, including at the UNSC, UNHRC, and other multilateral fora. The two leaders upheld that adherence to a rules-based international system is imperative to ensuring peace and development. They pledged to work together to enhance multilateralism, reflective of contemporary realities so as to make international organisations, including the UN Security Council, more representative.
The strengthening of Council membership with a focus on increasing representation from developing countries, including through the expansion of UNSC in both the permanent and non-permanent categories will render it more effective in addressing current global challenges. India deeply appreciated Malaysia’s support for India’s permanent membership in a reformed United Nations Security Council.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi also held a bilateral meeting with visiting Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim at the Hyderabad House. The discussions between the two leaders were held to further deepen engagement across various domains of partnership between India and Malaysia.
Following the meeting, PM Modi announced that the ties between India and Malaysia will be elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Stating that India attaches priority to ASEAN, Prime Minister Modi said India will extend full support to Malaysia’s “successful ASEAN chairmanship” in 2025.
He also announced that India’s UPI will be collaborating with Malaysian Paynet, and the linkage of the two will be worked upon. He also announced that 100 seats will be specially allocated for Malaysians under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme.
Ibrahim had arrived in the national capital today for a state visit, his first visit to India as the Malaysian premier. He was warmly received by Union Minister of State, V Somanna at the airport.
He also paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi, laying a wreath at Delhi’s Rajghat following his meeting with PM Modi. Ibrahim also signed the visitor’s book at the Rajghat. (ANI)
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