Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the long-standing relationship between India and Malaysia and described it as a “very special relationship” built over centuries. He is on a two-day visit to Malaysia aimed at strengthening cooperation in multiple sectors. On Sunday, he held a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim after delegation-level talks and the exchange of Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs).

“India-Malaysia relations are really special. We are maritime neighbours. For centuries, there have been deep ties between people of our two countries,” the prime minister said on Sunday. “Today, Malaysia is the second biggest nation in the world that has an Indian-origin population. Our civilisations are connected to shared cultural heritage and democratic values,” he furthered.

This visit marks PM Modi’s first foreign trip of 2026 and reflects India’s focus on strengthening ties with Eastern nations during a time of global uncertainty.

Partnership gains new momentum

PM Modi said that relations between the two countries have accelerated in recent years and credited Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for helping push cooperation forward.

“In the past few years, our relations have picked up a new pace. My friend, PM Anwar Ibrahim, has made a special contribution towards this. Cooperation between us in energy, infrastructure and manufacturing has strengthened,” he explained.

He added that both countries have seen growth in mutual investment, especially in technology-driven sectors.

“Mutual investment in the digital economy, biotech and IT has increased. Tourism and people-to-people ties have also deepened. Drawing inspiration from these achievements, we have decided to bring in unprecedented speed and depth in our partnership.”

The Indian Prime Minister also outlined plans to expand collaboration in security and strategic areas.

“In the security sector, we will strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and maritime security. We will also make defence cooperation more comprehensive. Along with AI and digital technologies, we will further advance our partnership in semiconductor, health and food security. The CEO forum organised today has thrown open new opportunities for trade and investment. We will pave a path to economic transformation through strategic trust,” the Indian prime minister said.

Malaysia praises India’s rapid economic growth

During his address, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim highlighted India’s fast economic rise and described the country as an important force in the global economy. He said Malaysia wants to expand cooperation with India further.

“India is growing by leaps and bounds, which is one spectacular rise in the international economic trade scene and therefore Malaysia in the ASEAN context certainly benefits immensely if we could secure more ways and opportunities to collaborate with India to extend beyond the $18.59 billion that we achieved in 2025,” the Malaysian prime minister said in the Sunday presser.

He also said both nations have agreed to promote the use of local currencies in trade and stressed the importance of collaboration in education.

“Education remains pivotal. Many Malaysians were educated in India, and there is a growing number of Indian students in Malaysia too, but since the last decade or so under the premiership of my good friend Prime Minister Modi, you have seen the spectacular recognition of Indian centres of excellence in education,” he said.

“That’s not only comparable, but many of them have achieved outstanding recognition beyond the known institutions in the West. Therefore, we would certainly explore this to increase the number of students in the disciplines and fields to study in India.”

Strategic partnership deepens

Ibrahim said the ties between the two nations are important for security and long-term strategic cooperation. He noted that relations have grown significantly since both countries elevated them to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024.

“We consider this meeting and these exchanges very vital, very strategic and critical to advance and enhance relations between India and Malaysia. We had long-standing relations since 1957. But we have elevated it to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2024,” he said.

“We’ll continue to deepen collaboration in all fields- trade and investment, semiconductor, digital economy, trade in local currency, connectivity, energy, agriculture, food, security, defence, education, healthcare, tourism, culture and people-to-people. It is really comprehensive, and we believe that we can advance this and execute speedily with the commitment of both our governments, both foreign ministers,” he furthered.

MoUs signed and global issues discussed

On the second day of the visit, both countries exchanged 11 agreements and documents, including MoUs. Ibrahim said these covered areas such as peacekeeping cooperation, semiconductors, healthcare and security.

He also shared that the leaders discussed global matters and welcomed India’s plan to open a consulate in Kota Kinabalu.

“I must also take this opportunity to express my regards and thanks to PM Modi for his firm commitment to support all peace efforts throughout the world, be it in Ukraine, Russia or in the case of the Middle East, particularly in Gaza. His commitment to support the peace process is unequivocal, and certainly, I must therefore express my appreciation. As a sign of our good relations, I have agreed to support the decision of the Government of India to open a consulate of India in Kota Kinabalu,” he said.