- | 5:09 pm
Junior foreign minister Singh’s Malaysia visit boosts diaspora links
India’s minister of state for External Affairs, Kirti Vardan Singh was on his maiden visit to Malaysia from September 12-15
Minister of state for external affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh met top officials in the Malaysian government during his four-day visit to discuss avenues for further intensifying bilateral cooperation under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership established during Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent visit to India.
Singh, who met his Malaysian counterpart Mohamad bin Alamin along with other officials, inaugurated the second edition of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) Day (‘Apravasi Diwas’ celebrations) in Malaysia and the 15th Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) International Convention.
In his keynote address, he welcomed the contributions of the PIO community to Malaysia as well as to India-Malaysia bilateral ties and urged them to continue to play a constructive role in strengthening the partnership between both countries.
He held talks with key diaspora associations, including GOPIO International and GOPIO Malaysia; captains of industry and business associations including Consortium of Indian Industries in Malaysia (CIIM) and Malaysia India Business Council (MIBC); Indian culture associations, Indian professionals and workers based in Malaysia.
With more than $20 billion in annual trade, India and Malaysia are working towards enhancing this figure to $25 billion by 2026, Singh said, adding that bilateral trade has the potential to grow to $30 billion.
Singh also visited the iconic Torana Gate at Little India, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit in 2015.