India is keen to deepen its defense and security ties with Malaysia and enhance bilateral economic and innovation partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday during his visit to Kuala Lumpur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed in New Delhi on Saturday during his two-day visit to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Narendra Modi Photo Gallery)Modi, who is visiting at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim, will hold bilateral talks and interact with industry and business representatives and the Indian community. The visit will coincide with the 10th India-Malaysia CEO Forum.
“I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and to further enhancing our comprehensive strategic partnership. We will aim to deepen our defense and security ties, enhance our economic and innovation partnership and expand our cooperation to new domains,” Modi said before his departure.
The nearly three-million-strong Indian community in Malaysia is one of the largest Indian diaspora in the world, and their contribution to Malaysia’s progress and role as a living bridge between the two countries is “a strong foundation of our historic friendship”, he said.
The visit will be an opportunity for both leaders to review bilateral cooperation including trade and investment, defence, security and maritime cooperation, digital and financial technology, energy, healthcare and tourism, the foreign ministry said.
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India and Malaysia are expected to finalize several agreements, including one between the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and Malaysia’s PayNet, and explore ways to enhance defense and security cooperation during the visit, senior officials said.
Both sides are looking at cementing memorandums of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the semiconductor industry, disaster management, training standards and certification for seafarers, anti-corruption and healthcare, they said.
Malaysia has a strong semiconductor ecosystem, with about 30% of the country’s exports consisting of semiconductors and related products, and the two sides are looking to establish a multi-level cooperation mechanism through a government-to-government agreement that will cover the establishment of R&D and fabrication centers and test centers.
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Defense and security have emerged as key areas of cooperation, and the Indian side is eyeing the sale of Dornier aircraft to Malaysia and the possibility of cooperation on the mid-life upgrade and refurbishment of the Scorpene submarines operated by both sides.
