SEPANG, Feb 8 — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for home today after concluding a two-day official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The special aircraft carrying Modi and his entourage took off from the Bunga Raya Complex at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 4.35pm.
He was seen off by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan, who was also the minister in attendance during the visit.
Earlier, Modi was accorded a ceremonial send-off, which included a guard of honour comprising 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.
About 100 students, including SKJ(T) Dengkil and SMS Banting, waved Malaysian and Indian flags to bid farewell to the visiting leader. Cultural performances showcasing Malaysia’s diversity were staged to mark his departure.
Earlier, both leaders witnessed the exchange of 11 Memoranda of Understanding and documents covering various sectors of cooperation between the two countries at the Seri Perdana Complex.
During a joint press conference, Anwar said that Malaysia and India will continue to strengthen their collaboration following the elevation of bilateral relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in August 2024.
He added that India is a key partner for Malaysia, with collaboration growing in trade, investment, education, technology, and tourism.
India and Malaysia share longstanding historical, civilisational and cultural ties, underpinned by a strong Indian diaspora community of about 2.9 million in Malaysia.
Malaysia-India economic ties continue to demonstrate strong momentum, with total bilateral trade reaching RM79.49 billion (US$18.59 billion) in 2025.
Malaysia’s exports amounted to RM52.3 billion (US$12.24 billion), and imports totalled RM27.19 billion (US$6.35 billion). Key export items comprised palm oil and palm oil-based agricultural products, as well as electrical and electronic products, while imports mainly consisted of agricultural, petroleum, and chemical products.
