Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday left for a two-day visit to Malaysia where he will hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Anwar Ibrahim. This will be PM Modi’s third visit to Malaysia and his first since the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” in August 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
India is looking for opportunities for cooperation across the defense sector during Prime Minister Modi’s upcoming visit to Malaysia with the sale of Dornier aircraft, maintenance of Scorpene submarines and SU-30 aircraft, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday.
What’s on the itinerary? Check PM Modi’s schedule here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Saturday, February 7, 2026, where he will be welcomed and received by the community at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre.
On Sunday 8 February, official events will begin with a welcome ceremony at Perdana Putra, the office of the Malaysian Prime Minister, followed by a visit to Seri Perdana, the residence of the Malaysian Prime Minister.
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The schedule will include a one-on-one meeting, delegation-level talks and an exchange of memorandums of understanding, culminating in press statements. The visit will also include an official lunch banquet hosted by the Prime Minister of Malaysia before PM Modi leaves for India.
During his visit, PM Modi will also interact with members of the Indian diaspora in Malaysia and other business representatives.
India-Malaysia relations
India established diplomatic ties with the Federation of Malaya, the predecessor of modern Malaysia, in 1957. The two countries shared a strong bond in the 1960s, largely due to the personal friendship between Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, according to the MEA.
At the people-to-people level, there is considerable goodwill towards India in Malaysia, which is home to approximately 2.75 million Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs). This makes it the second largest PIO community in the world after the United States and the third largest Indian diaspora in the world, numbering 2.9 million.
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India’s major exports to Malaysia include mineral fuels and oils, aluminum and allied products, meat and edible offal, iron and steel, copper and allied products, organic chemicals, nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical equipment, as well as electrical machinery and equipment.
India’s key imports from Malaysia are palm oil, mineral fuels and oils, electrical machinery and equipment, animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products, and nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical equipment.
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Malaysia is an important partner for India in ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific region and a key pillar of India’s Act East Policy.
Torana Gate is a gift from India to Malaysia
Located in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, the Torana Gate is a gift from India to Malaysia as a sign of the enduring friendship between the two countries. The Torana Gate was jointly inaugurated by Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and Najib Razak, then Prime Minister of Malaysia, on 23 November 2015.
During Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to India on 19-21 India-Malaysia diplomatic relations were upgraded to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership” in August 2024.
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PM Modi also met Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil on July 6, 2025.
PM Modi also virtually attended the 22nd ASEAN-India Summit convened in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, 2025. The two Prime Ministers also agreed on October 22, 2025 through a telephone call.