PM arrives in Kuala Lumpur to rousing welcome; traditional music & dance set the stage

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday, landed in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur to a rousing welcome. Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim received PM Modi at the airport.

“Deeply touched by the warm welcome extended by my friend, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the airport. I look forward to our conversations and to further strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and Malaysia,” PM Modi posted on the social media platform X.

Traditional music and dance performances set the stage, celebrating the shared cultural heritage of the two nations, as PM Modi received a grand red-carpet reception upon his arrival.

Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Ramanan Ramakrishnan and Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman bin Awang Sauni joined Imrahim in receiving PM Modi.

The 2 PMs to hold talks - What's on agenda?

PM Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart will hold wide-ranging talks on Sunday, 8 February, that are expected to produce a number of agreements to further expand cooperation between the two nations.

In the delegation-level talks, New Delhi is set to once again press Kuala Lumpur to extradite controversial Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, reported PTI.

In his departure statement, Modi signalled that the visit would focus on a major push for deeper defence cooperation and robust economic engagement.

"The historic ties between India and Malaysia have seen steadfast progress in recent years. I look forward to my discussions with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and further enhancing our comprehensive strategic partnership," Modi said.

"We will aim to deepen our defence and security ties, enhance our economic and innovation partnership, and expand our collaboration into new domains," he said.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said PM Modi's visit features a "rich agenda and will give a major boost to the special partnership between India and Malaysia".

"The visit is expected to impart significant momentum to our close & multifaceted partnership," he said.

What Malaysian PM says

Both prime ministers travelled in the same car to the venue of an Indian community event, which was also attended by PM Anwar Ibrahim.

"Celebrating the India-Malaysia people-to-people connect! PM Anwar Ibrahim and I are heading to the community programme in Kuala Lumpur," Modi said in another social media post.