Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a two-day visit to Malaysia, held delegation-level talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur. Both of them highlighted a joint intent to deepen cooperation across security, trade, technology, defence and people-to-people ties. Following the discussions and exchange of 11 documents, including MoUs and letters, PM Modi restated India’s hard line on terrorism and spoke of the need to update global governance to match the current challenges.
What did PM Modi say on terrorism?
In a joint press statement, PM Modi said that India and Malaysia would strengthen cooperation in security, intelligence sharing, and maritime security, including counter-terrorism , while expanding on defence ties. “Our message on terrorism is clear, no double standards and no compromise,” he mentioned, as quoted by ANI.
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Here are the takeaways
PM Modi described India-Malaysia ties as “very special” and rooted in long-standing civilisations and cultural links. He also highlighted that the two countries are “maritime neighbours.” He also extended congratulations to Malaysia on its ASEAN chairmanship and said India gives priority to ASEAN centrality. He also described the Indo-Pacific as a region focused on development, stability, and peace.
On future priorities, PM Modi stated, “Along with AI and digital technologies, we will advance ties in semiconductors, health and food security,” as quoted by ANI.
Ibrahim mentioned that the engagement was “very vital, very strategic and critical” to advancing ties, noting that the relationship was elevated to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2024. He also said that both sides would deepen collaboration across a wide range of sectors, including trade, semiconductors, investment, digital economy, energy, agriculture, connectivity, tourism, culture, education, healthcare, security, and defence.
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The talks also touched on wider defence and security engagement. Secretary (East) P Kumaran stated the two prime ministers exchanged views on bilateral defence, security and maritime cooperation, noting that engagement has intensified in recent years. He also mentioned steps like first India-Malaysia security dialogue in January 2025, the Malaysia-India-Defence Committee meeting in February 2025 and work on forums and working groups, alongside ongoing bilateral military exercises.
What does the visit mean for diaspora, tourism, and easier payments?
Kumaran underlined the role of the 2.9 million-strong Indian community in Malaysia, terming it a “living bridge” between the two countries. He stated the initiatives in years include extending OCI cards to the sixth generation of PIOs in Malaysia and a scholarship trust fund for Indian students in Malaysia with three million ringgit added to the corpus, as reported by ANI.
He also pointed to rising travel flows enabled by easier visa arrangements. As per Kumaran, India and Malaysia are extending visa-free/gratis e-visas to each other’s nationals for tourism. As a result, in 2025, 1.4 million Indian tourists travelled to Malaysia, whereas 300,000 Malaysian tourists visited India.
Kumaran further added that a deal between NIPL and PayNet would take people-to-people ties forward by enabling cross-border QR-based payments. |
