Anwar’s visit to India strengthens economic relations
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India is expected to strengthen the long-standing cooperation between the two countries, focusing on economic relations and cooperative initiatives, said Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives, Datuk R Ramanan.
According to Bernama, Ramanan expressed confidence in the potential outcomes of the visit, citing the close relationship between Anwar and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“India has long cooperated with Malaysia. With Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit, his good relationship not only with Modi but also with India will enable us to develop something very beneficial economically for Malaysia,” he said.
He made these remarks at a press conference following a special performance of ‘Swarna Samaroha’ – Odissi at the Shantanand Auditorium, Temple of Fine Arts, Brickfields, last night.
Ramanan also emphasized India’s important role in the cooperative sector and its contributions to skills training and human capital development, which align with his ministry’s mission.
In addition to cooperative initiatives, Ramanan highlighted the economic dimension of Malaysia-India relations.
He noted that trade between the two countries has achieved significant milestones, with total trade reaching approximately US$43.3 billion last year.
Malaysia’s exports to India amounted to US$26.3 billion, with key exports including palm oil and electronics, while imports mainly consisted of petroleum and agricultural products.
“Malaysia is India’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and the eleventh largest globally.
Malaysia has set a target to achieve US$100 billion in trade (with India) by 2030; it will certainly be a long journey to reach this goal, but we need to set our sights high,” he said.
Anwar is scheduled to make his first official visit to India this Monday and Tuesday. During the visit, which will also include five Cabinet ministers, several agreements between the two countries are expected to be signed.
The High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, B N Reddy, who also attended the event, emphasized the importance of the meeting between the leaders of Malaysia and India.
He expressed confidence in the success of the visit, highlighting the careful planning that both governments have undertaken.
He mentioned that the special performance of “Swarna Samaroha” – Odissi was an event organized by the High Commission of India in Malaysia and the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Indian Cultural Centre (NSCBICC), featuring performances by the visiting group led by Guru Dr. Gajendra Panda and his students.
The event was also attended by more than 350 guests, ambassadors/high commissioners, and senior officials from several diplomatic missions in Kuala Lumpur, including representatives from cultural organizations and the Indian community, as well as schools and academic institutions in Malaysia.