India and Malaysia Strengthen Ties with 6 Key Agreements, Focusing on Security, Semiconductors and Digital Payments

KUALA LUMPUR (The Uttam Hindu) : Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed six major agreements between India and Malaysia during their bilateral meetings in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, taking steps to further strengthen cultural, economic and strategic cooperation.

The agreement was signed after extensive discussions between the two leaders during PM Modi's two-day official visit to Malaysia. According to information provided by the Ministry of External Affairs, this visit marked an important milestone in advancing the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries. During their talks, the two leaders explored ways to enhance cooperation in a number of areas, including trade, investment, semiconductors, defense, security, maritime cooperation, energy, renewable resources, tourism, cultural exchange, as well as digital and new technologies.

The two leaders shared their intention to enhance cooperation in both traditional and new-age sectors of mutual benefit. Several important bilateral agreements and MoUs were exchanged during the visit, covering areas such as security cooperation, participation in UN peacekeeping initiatives, semiconductor development, healthcare and medicine, disaster management, anti-corruption efforts, audio-visual co-production, vocational education, and social security for Indian workers in Malaysia.

During this visit, Prime Minister Modi also announced the establishment of a dedicated Thiruvalluvar Centre at the University of Malaya and the launch of the Thiruvalluvar Scholarship. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that this initiative aims to promote the teachings and philosophy of the ancient Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar, as well as to strengthen cultural exchange and people-to-people ties between India and Malaysia.

The Prime Minister also announced India's decision to open its first Consulate in Malaysia. This move is expected to enhance diplomatic engagement, strengthen bilateral relations, and provide better support to Indian citizens residing in or visiting the country.

Among the agreements signed between the two countries, the collaboration between Cyberjaya University and ITRA Jamnagar was highlighted as a significant development. According to the MEA, this partnership will focus on traditional medicine and is expected to facilitate research and academic exchange in Ayurveda, as well as increase access to holistic healthcare practices and knowledge sharing between the two countries.

In an effort to improve connectivity and economic integration, NIPL, a subsidiary of the National Payments Corporation of India, and Malaysia's PayNet have agreed to work together to build bilateral payment linkages, including integration through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This initiative will enhance the ease of doing business and provide easy, low-cost remittance and payment solutions to the tourism, student, and business communities operating between the two countries.

Additionally, during the visit, the two leaders were presented with the report of the 10th India-Malaysia CEO Forum. The Forum's report is expected to provide suggestions and insights to strengthen business-to-business cooperation and expand trade and investment opportunities between India and Malaysia, thereby deepening economic engagement between the two countries.