Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday received ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at Perdana Putra building in Kuala Lumpur, a day after he arrived in Malaysia for a two-day visit to the Southeast Asian country. He was also welcomed by his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim.
Later, the prime minister also interacted with Malaysian ministers and delegations.
PM Modi had arrived in Malaysia on Saturday, where he received a rousing welcome from the Indian diaspora. In an X post, he said he was 'deeply touched' by the warm welcome he received, as he thanked Ibrahim. "I look forward to our conversations and to further strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and Malaysia," he had said.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), PM Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with Ibrahim, discussing ways to strengthen the bilateral ties between New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur, particularly in defence, trade, investment, education, and other areas.
The deepening India-Malaysia ties
The prime minister has stressed that the ties between India and Malaysia have seen steadfast progress in recent years, adding that his visit will deepen the defence and security ties.
On Saturday, PM Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora and attended a cultural show in which more than 800 dancers performed Indian classical and folk dances, including Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Yakshagana, Lavani and Odisi.
He said Malaysia has second largest Indian origin community in the world, calling the Indian diaspora there a bridge between the two nations. He also spoke about the recent trade deals with the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), saying India has become a hub for investment and trade, and the country is now seen as a trusted partner for growth.
"In 2015, I spoke about India's potential, now I speak about India's performance; India was 11th largest economy then, now we are knocking on the doors of top three. 'Make in India' was a sapling that was just planted. Now, India is the world's second-largest mobile manufacturer. Our defence exports have gone up nearly 30 times since 2014," he said in his address.
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