Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his newly elected Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday, beginning the second leg of his five-day tour of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
“The two leaders had a productive exchange of views on strengthening our strategic partnership,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted. “Malaysia is a strategic partner and a priority country in our Act East Policy.” The two leaders discussed ways to boost economic and cultural relations between the two countries, PTI reported.
Modi is among the first leaders to meet Mohamad, who became the world’s oldest elected leader earlier this month.
After a brief stopover, Modi left for Singapore. He is expected to deliver a keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an annual security summit, on Friday.
At a business event in Singapore, Modi launched three Indian mobile payment apps – RuPay, BHIM and State Bank of India.
The Indian prime minister met Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Jakarta on Wednesday. The two leaders signed 15 memoranda of understanding in fields such as defence, scientific and technological cooperation, railways and health. Modi also visited the Kalibata Heroes Cemetery and the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta.
In an address to the Indian diaspora, Modi announced 30-day free visas for Indonesian citizens and invited Indians expatriates to visit their country of origin to experience the “New India”.
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