Zambry undertakes working visit to India from Monday

PUTRAJAYA - Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir will embark on a working visit to New Delhi, India, from Nov 6-7.

During the visit, Zambry is scheduled to co-chair the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) on Nov 7 alongside his Indian counterpart, Dr S. Jaishankar, with both ministers to deliberate on existing bilateral cooperation and potential areas of collaboration, as well as exchange views on regional and international matters of mutual interest.

"This meeting marks the sixth in the series of JCMs between Malaysia and India, with the last one taking place in Kuala Lumpur in 2011,” said a statement issued by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.

The statement said that economic, defence, energy, connectivity, health, education, tourism, and broadcasting will be among the sectors of cooperation to be discussed during the meeting.

Both ministers will also witness the signing of several important documents, including a Memorandum of Understanding regarding Cooperation in Broadcasting between Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) and India's Prasar Bharti, as well as an exchange of Notes between the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) and the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service (SSIFS) pertaining to cooperation in the field of diplomatic training.

Additionally, a Letter of Intent between the Southeast Asia Regional Centre for Counter-Terrorism (SEARCCT) and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA) regarding Cooperation in the Field of Academic Research will also be signed.

Zambry is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on the Vice President of India, Jagdeep Dhankhar, where both parties will discuss regional and international issues, including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

With a strong economic partnership and close people-to-people ties, Malaysia and India share a longstanding and substantial relationship. In 2022, India emerged as Malaysia’s 11th largest trading partner, with total trade amounting to RM86.22 billion (US$19.63 billion), reflecting a 23.6 per cent increase compared to the recorded value in 2021.

The visit is anticipated to further bolster the bilateral relations between the two countries. - BERNAMA