EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called on Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the two leaders exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and also on regional issues including Myanmar. Jaishankar, who is here on a two-day official visit, met Anwar at the Prime Minister’s Office and the meeting lasted about an hour, the official Bernama news agency reported.

 

In a statement issued after the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Anwar and Jaishankar exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and digital, and also on regional issues including Myanmar. Earlier, Jaishankar met his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Haji Hasan. The two foreign ministers held a “productive and frank discussion, including exchanging views on the multifaceted dimensions of Malaysia-India bilateral affairs as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest,” the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an official statement.

 

The meeting was also attended by Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu and Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong. Malaysia and India share a long-standing and substantive relationship bound by robust economic partnerships and close people-to-people ties. In 2023, India was Malaysia’s 12th largest global trading partner, with total trade amounting to RM 77.76 billion (USD 16.53 billion), the statement said.