India eyes strengthening relations with ASEAN: Foreign Minister

External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar on March 27 expressed India’s intention to strengthen India-ASEAN relations, especially under Malaysia’s chairmanship of ASEAN next year when he paid a courtesy call to Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar on March 27 pays a courtesy call to Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Jaishankar, who is on a two-day official visit to Malaysia, also reiterated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s invitation to Anwar to visit India.

During their meeting, Malaysian PM Anwar and the Indian diplomat exchanged views and discussed cooperation in the areas of trade, science and technology, education, agriculture, tourism, defence and digital, as well as regional issues including Myanmar, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

According to PMO, Anwar committed to facilitating the establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) branch campus in Malaysia. He also appreciated Modi for assisting the country when Malaysia encountered a shortage of rice and hoped for further facilitation for the import of agricultural produce from India.

According to PMO, the Malaysian PM looks forward to visiting India soon, after India’s General Elections.

India was Malaysia’s 12th largest trading partner last year with total trade reaching 16.53 billion USD./.

VNA