Prime Minister Narendra Modi commenced his two-day visit to Malaysia. He was received by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the airport, who greeted him with a hug.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi said he is visiting Malaysia at the invitation of his ‘friend’, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.PM Modi said that India was eyeing deeper defence and security ties.
While addressing the Indian Diaspora in Kuala Lumpur, PM Modi hailed India’s recent trade deals with various countries, including the European Union, including the UK, and the USA.

India was once viewed merely as a vast market. Today, it has emerged as a global hub for investment and trade, recognised as a reliable partner for growth by nations including the UK, UAE, Australia, New Zealand, Oman, the EU, and the USA, all of which have forged trade agreements with us, said PM Modi.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also praised India’s UPI initiative and Malaysia’s status as home to the world’s second-largest Indian-origin community, serving as a vibrant link between the two nations through shared culture, cuisine like Roti Canai, Malabar Parotta, coconut, spices, and Teh Tarik, and linguistic similarities between Indian languages and Malay.
Indian music and films are hugely popular there, with PM Anwar Ibrahim’s singing talents, especially his viral Hindi song performance in India and love for Tamil legend MGR’s songs, further bridging the gap.

He also emphasised that India reaffirms its embrace of this diaspora via recent extensions of OCI card eligibility to sixth-generation Malaysian Indians, ongoing support for the Indian Scholarship Trust Fund (ISTF) aiding meritorious students from weaker economic backgrounds, the new Thiruvalluvar Scholarship for those studying in India, and invitations to the ‘Know India’ programme.