Jaishankar calls on Malaysian PM; discusses cooperation in multiple sectors including S&T

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Wednesday called on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the two leaders exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and also on regional issues including Myanmar. Jaishankar, who is here on a two-day official visit, met Anwar at the Prime Minister's Office and the meeting lasted about an hour, the official Bernama news agency reported.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Prime Minister's Office said that Anwar and Jaishankar exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and digital, and also on regional issues including Myanmar.

Anwar gave his commitment to facilitate the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) branch campus in Malaysia, it added.

The Prime Minister also expressed appreciation to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi for assisting Malaysia when the country was hit by a shortage of rice and hoped for further facilitation on the import of agricultural produce from India.

"May the Malaysian-Indian relationship continue to grow and blossom for the benefit of the people of both friendly countries," Anwar said.

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

Jaishankar, who is in Kuala Lumpur on the third and last leg of his three-nation tour to Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia, conveyed the warm greetings of Prime Minister Modi.

"Honour to call on Prime Minister @anwaribrahim of Malaysia. Conveyed the warm greetings of PM @narendramodi," Jaishankar said in a post on X.

Praising the Malaysian prime minister's vision for a stronger bilateral relationship, he said, "His vision for stronger India-Malaysia ties, both in traditional and new-age areas, will help us craft a more ambitious agenda for the relationship."

"Benefitted from his guidance and insights on regional developments," he added.

Earlier, Jaishankar met his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Haji Hasan.

The two foreign ministers held a "productive and frank discussion, including exchanging views on the multifaceted dimensions of Malaysia-India bilateral affairs as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest," the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement.

The meeting was also attended by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu and Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong.

Malaysia and India share a long-standing and substantive relationship bound by robust economic partnerships and close people-to-people ties.

In 2023, India was Malaysia's 12th largest global trading partner, with total trade amounting to RM 77.76 billion (USD 16.53 billion), the statement said.