PUTRAJAYA: A thoughtfully curated spread of “Friendship Appetisers”, reflecting the warm and longstanding Malaysia-India relationship, greeted guests at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for his visiting Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the Seri Perdana Complex here Sunday (Feb 8).
In a gesture celebrating the Indian leader's heritage, the luncheon menu featured traditional Gujarati favourites, such as dhokla and khandvi, alongside Malaysian appetisers of rojak pasembur and tauhu sumbat.
Modi, who was born in Vadnagar in the state of Gujarat and previously served as Gujarat's Chief Minister from 2001 to 2014 before becoming India's Prime Minister in 2014, arrived in Malaysia yesterday for a two-day official visit.
The Indian Prime Minister was accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex earlier today before proceeding to Seri Perdana, the official residence of the Prime Minister, for bilateral talks with Anwar.
The two leaders also witnessed the exchange of Memoranda of Understanding on combating and preventing corruption, standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers and disaster management.
External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar and senior government officials accompanied the visiting prime minister.
Also present at the luncheon were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, Transport Minister Anthony Loke and Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
India and Malaysia share longstanding historical, civilisational and cultural ties, underpinned by a strong Indian diaspora community of about 2.9 million in Malaysia.
The visit is expected to further strengthen bilateral relations and foster enhanced cooperation in areas of mutual benefit, building upon the strong foundation of friendship since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1957, and the elevation of ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in August 2024.
In 2025, total trade between Malaysia and India reached RM79.49bil (USD18.59bil).
Malaysia’s total exports to India amounted to RM52.30bil (USD12.24bil) and total imports amounted to RM27.19bil (USD6.35bil).
