India and Malaysia pledged on Monday (Nov 23) to strengthen cooperation in trade and security during talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Malaysian counter Najib Razak.
“The recent spate of attacks in different countries, not to mention the ceaseless attacks against India and Afghanistan, are a reminder of the global nature of this threat,” Mr Modi said, praising Mr Najib for his “leadership in combating extremism and radicalisation”.
“We will also make our defence cooperation stronger, including for advancing maritime security and strengthening disaster response in our region.”
“I assure you that we will work with renewed vigour to raise the level to momentum of our partnership,” he added.
According to Mr Modi, the two nations agreed to upgrade their joint exercises and set up the SU-30 forum to strengthen collaboration in “training and defence equipment”.
Besides boosting military ties, India and Malaysia also signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in cyber security.
“As our lives get more networked, this is emerging as one of the most serious concerns of our age,” Mr Modi said, describing the cooperation as “very important”.
TRADE AND INVESTMENT
During a joint press conference, the Indian Prime Minister also highlighted the two country’s economic partnership and India’s hope for “an early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.”
“I share Prime Minister’s belief that our trade and investment relations can be scaled up significantly,” he said. “We intend to exploit the full potential of our bilateral agreements and the Indian-ASEAN Agreements.”
Mr Modi also mentioned an opportunity to discuss “many dimensions” of India-Malaysia relations with his Malaysian counterpart.
“There are many dimensions to our connected histories. We have very old links of culture and religion. The Malaysian-Indian community forms a very special and strong bond between us.”
“We are defined by diversity and democracy. We have built a vibrant economic partnership. We are located on the same maritime route,” he added.(Channel News Asia)
Link: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/india-malaysia-strengthen/2285538.html
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