Defence Minister Rajnath Singh landed in Kuala Lumpur in the late hours of July 9, commencing his three-day official visit to Malaysia. The minister was greeted with 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' slogans by members of the Indian diaspora on his arrival.
Singh's visit is aimed at fortifying bilateral defence and strategic ties between the two South Asian nations.
The minister is scheduled for to meet Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan, his Malaysian counterpart, to hold elaborate discussions on regional and global issues of shared interest. Singh will also call on Malaysia Prime Minister YB Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim.
Singh announced his arrival at Kuala Lumpur through his tweet late on July 9, "Delighted to arrive in the beautiful city of Kuala Lumpur. Looking forward to my engagements with the political leadership of Malaysia, further strengthening of bilateral defence ties and Enhanced Strategic Partnership."
It is to be noted that Malaysia is among the few countries which have expressed interest in procuring India's indigenously-developed Tejas aircraft. Tejas is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments.
Earlier this June, Singh had held a virtual talk with Senior Defence Minister of Malaysia, to discuss defence cooperation activities and framework. His ongoing visit to the South East Asian country is anticipated to further cement bilateral ties between the two nations.
The Defence Ministry released a statement on July 8 saying, "India and Malaysia have a common interest in peace and prosperity of the entire region. The two democracies have a robust and multifaceted relationship which has expanded into several strategic areas, including defence and security. Both the countries are committed to work under the vision of enhanced strategic partnership established during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Malaysia in 2015."
In a recent development this April, the Defence Ministry announced that India and Malaysia have agreed to settle trade in Indian rupees. The decision came against the government's efforts to protect and safeguard Indian trade from the impact of the Ukraine crisis.
Also Read: New Foreign Trade Policy: Focus on international trade settlement in rupee
India-Malaysia bilateral trade stood at $9.33 billion in 2022-23, as per the Indian High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. Trade numbers touched the highest mark during 2018-19 with $17.24 billion. India's defence exports to Malaysia are expected to further boost these trade numbers.
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