: Sunday, 08 February 2026 11:20 AM
Kuala Lumpur. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a true friend and said that he has a trustworthy relationship with him. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in a joint press meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said that this meeting and exchange of documents between India and Malaysia is “extremely important, strategic and necessary to strengthen the relationship”. He said that our countries have a long-standing relationship since 1957, but in 2024 it has been given the status of comprehensive strategic partnership. They also underlined the deep historical ties, strong people-to-people connections and ever-growing economic partnership.
Prime Minister Ibrahim said, “We will deepen cooperation in all sectors. Trade and investment, semiconductors, digital economy, trade in local currency, connectivity, energy, agriculture, food security, defence, education, health care, tourism, culture and people-to-people ties. It is truly comprehensive, and we are confident that it can be taken forward rapidly with the commitment of both governments and both foreign ministers.”
The Malaysian Prime Minister said that the two countries exchanged 11 documents, including MoUs. He said the exchange went beyond normal bilateral agreements as it also covered areas such as semiconductors, health care and security cooperation.
Prime Minister Ibrahim expressed hope to increase trade cooperation with India and said that it could grow further beyond $8.59 billion. He described the use of local currencies Indian rupee and Malaysian ringgit as a “wonderful achievement”.
He also emphasized on education ties and said that many Malaysian citizens have studied in India and the number of Indian students in Malaysia is also increasing. He said, “In the last decade, India’s education centers have received tremendous recognition under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. Many centers have achieved even more than the institutions of Western countries. So we will definitely look at increasing the number of students in this field.”
Prime Minister Ibrahim also expressed the need to focus on tourism and connectivity.
“I express my appreciation, because my conversation with Prime Minister Modi is not just a normal diplomatic exchange, but an exchange full of trust and understanding between true friends. I would like to use this opportunity to thank him for his support of peace efforts, be it the Ukraine-Russia issue or the Middle East, especially Gaza,” he said.
He said that as a sign of good relations between India and Malaysia, he immediately agreed to the decision of the Government of India to open the Indian Consulate.
Earlier, the two leaders held delegation-level talks in which measures to strengthen bilateral relations in several areas including defense and security were discussed.
This visit of PM Modi is considered an important step towards deepening the long-standing friendly relations between India and Malaysia, which is based on mutual trust, shared values and common aspirations for the future.
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Web Title-Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim calls PM Modi a trustworthy and true friend
