Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim to begin three-day visit to India on Monday

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's three-day visit to India will pave way for charting a multi-sectoral cooperation agenda between the two countries, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Sunday.

Ibrahim, to be accompanied by a high-level delegation, begins the visit on Monday. It would be his first visit to India as the prime minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold wide-ranging talks with his Malaysian counterpart on Tuesday following which both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements including one on recruitment of Indian workers.

The decision to ink a pact on recruitment of Indian workers assumes significance as illegal immigration and human trafficking from India to Malaysia are among major concerns of the two governments.

The MEA said Ibrahim will pay a 'State Visit' to India from August 19 to 21 at the invitation of Modi.

On August 20, Ibrahim will receive a ceremonial welcome at the Forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan and will visit the Raj Ghat to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi.

Following this, he will hold talks with Modi. The Indian prime minister will host a luncheon for the Malaysian leader, according to the MEA.

Later in the day, Ibrahim is scheduled to call on President Droupadi Murmu.

"India and Malaysia have strong historical and socio-cultural linkages. Our bilateral relationship was elevated to the status of Enhanced Strategic Partnership in 2015 during the visit of Prime Minister Modi," the MEA said in a statement.

"As both countries enter the second decade of enhanced strategic partnership next year, the visit of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim would pave the way for further strengthening of India-Malaysia bilateral ties by charting out a multi-sectoral cooperation agenda for the future," it said.

The overall ties between the two countries have been on an upswing in the last few years.

India's defence relations with Malaysia have gained momentum in recent years. The MoU on defence cooperation, signed in 1993, is the cornerstone of defence relations between the two countries.

In July last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Kuala Lumpur during which both sides approved an amendment in the memorandum of understanding on India-Malaysia defence cooperation signed in 1993.

The defence ministry had said that the amendment will act as an "enabler" to expand bilateral defence cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.

The trade ties between the two countries are also on an upward trajectory. Malaysia is India's 13th largest trade partner and India is among Malaysia's 10 biggest trade partners.

The two-way trade volume was around USD 20 billion in 2022-23.

Both sides are set to ink several pacts during Prime Minister Ibrahim's visit to New Delhi.

India and Malaysia are in the process of firming up a framework for conducting trade in national currencies as well.

The two sides are also initiating a process to review the 12-year-old comprehensive economic cooperation agreement to include new domains and items.