Malaysia's Foreign Minister hails 'civilizational relations' with India

Kuala Lumpur, Sept 12: India and Malaysia recently marked 65 years of modern diplomatic relations at a commemorative event, "India - Malaysia@65", organized by the Consortium of Indian Industries in Malaysia (CIIM) and Malaysia India Business Council (MIBC) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia.

 

 

 

 

At the event, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah said, "Our relations predate the 65 years of official bilateral relations, the relations between India and Malaysia and the people of India and Malaysia is not just a bilateral relation but a civilizational relation." The Minister added that there has been significant progress in the two countries' bilateral relations and the civilizational relationship enjoyed by both countries made the relationship even more special.

 

 

 

 

 

Malaysia and India first established official diplomatic relations in 1957 following the Federation of Malaya's independence and the end of colonial rule. About seven per cent (2.3 million people) out of Malaysia's population of 33 million are of Indian ancestry. Malaysia's Foreign Minister said in his speech that the relationship between India and Malaysia had grown from Strategic Partnership in 2010 to an Enhanced Strategic Partnership in 2015, with new cooperation in cultural diplomacy, digital economy and agro commodity forthcoming.

 

Saifuddin continued saying, "During my visit to New Delhi in June 2022, I met my (counterpart) India's External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar at the sidelines of the special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' meeting and discussed possible new cooperation in various fields including cultural diplomacy as well as trade and investment." India and Malaysia have had a mutually beneficial trading relationship for many years. Currently, Malaysia is the 13th largest trading partner for India, whereas India is among the top ten trading partners for Malaysia.