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Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004

International

International - India & World

Malaysian Prime Minister to visit India

By P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE, DEC. 15. India and Malaysia will seek to enhance their economic ties and reinforce the bilateral political equation during the five-day visit to India by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, from December 19, according to official sources in Kuala Lumpur.

The international anti-terror campaign, Iraq and the United Nations Security Council reform, inclusive of the efforts by India and a few others for permanent membership, could figure in the talks in some form or the other. However, without wishing to spell out the likely agreements or understandings, the sources said Malaysia-India ties should not be seen through the sole prism of such terminology as strategic partnership for the 21st century.

The security of sea lanes along the Straits of Malacca remained a matter of concern to Kuala Lumpur, and an issue was how best India could be of help in the present context of coordinated patrols by Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore and of proposals for a wider regional initiative.

Defence cooperation, too, would be an aspect of Malaysia-India interactions, but the two-way economic linkages might come up for prime attention during Mr. Abdullah's visit, the sources indicated. Issues relating to Malaysia's growing participation in the Indian infrastructure industry and India's conspicuous presence in the Malaysian information technology sector would be addressed. The overall two-way trade was now of the order of $ 4.5 billions, marking a 45 per cent jump over the previous reckoning year's figure.

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