PM Modi receives guard of honour, ceremonial welcome in Malaysia, meets ministers – Watch videos

On his two-day official visit to Malaysia, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a ceremonial welcome and Guard of Honour at the Perdana Putra on Sunday.

After PM Modi arrived in Kuala Lumpur, he was received with a ceremonial reception. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally welcomed him at the airport.

The arrival ceremony featured a red-carpet welcome accompanied by traditional music and dance performances, celebrating the shared cultural heritage between India and Malaysia.

Modi also met Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Ramanan Ramakrishnan and Deputy Foreign Minister Lukanisman bin Awang Sauni during his extended welcome ceremony.

Touched by the warm reception, PM Modi said, “India and Malaysia continue to deepen a partnership rooted in trust, friendship and shared aspirations."

He also shared a few glimpses from the welcome ceremony, highlighting a group of students from the Malaysia Hindu Sangam, who recited Tirumurai devotional songs. “It is commendable how the Tamil community in Malaysia has preserved and popularised their heritage over the last several years,” PM Modi said.

PM Modi and Malaysian PM to hold talks - What's on agenda?

PM Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counterpart will hold wide-ranging talks on Sunday, 8 February, that is 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 will 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 & multi-faceted partnership," he said.

India and Malaysia share deep-rooted relations shaped by common history, civilisation and culture. These ties are further reinforced by Malaysia's Indian-origin population of about 2.9 million, which forms the world's third-largest overseas Indian community.

(With agency inputs)