Kuala Lumpur, Oct 26 (IANS) Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Sunday that ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations remain a force for stability and mutual prosperity. He expressed hope to conclude the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) by this year.

In his remarks at the ASEAN-India Summit in Malaysia on Sunday, Ibrahim highlighted strong India-Malaysia ties and talked about the large number of ethnic Indians living in Malaysia, according to a video webcasted by RTVMalacanang.

He said: “We are very pleased today on behalf of ASEAN leaders to continue our deliberations and collaboration with India and we have ASEAN-India Plan of Action 2026–2030. We want to conclude the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (ITIGA) by this year. So, there’s been some real progress and India, I mean, I must say not only for Malaysia, Malaysia, of course there have been always special relations with India partly because we have a large number of ethnic Indians in Malaysia but also in terms of trade, investments, collaboration, universities with India.

“That is why I am particularly delighted to have Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is a friend of ASEAN and me personally, and I think, Thank you very much, welcome to this ASEAN meeting and we’ve had a series of meetings today and ASEAN-India Dialogue Relations for us remain a force for stability, for mutual prosperity and with your strides in economic advancement in various fields, I’m sure it will be beneficial for both India and ASEAN.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually attended the ASEAN-India Summit and noted that the cooperation between the two sides is growing rapidly in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), maritime security and the blue economy, and declared 2026 as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation’.

In his remarks at the ASEAN-India Summit, PM Modi said: “India has stood firmly with its ASEAN friends in every crisis. Our cooperation in HADR, maritime security, and the blue economy is growing rapidly. In light of this, we are declaring 2026 as the ‘ASEAN-India Year of Maritime Cooperation’. Along with this, we are strongly promoting bilateral cooperation in education, tourism, science and technology, health, green energy, and cyber security… 21st century is our century. It is India and ASEAN’s century.”

Stressing that India and ASEAN share deep historical ties and shared values, PM Modi said, “India and ASEAN together represent nearly a quarter of the world’s population. We not only share geography, but we are also linked by deep historical ties and shared values. We are fellow travellers of the Global South. Our partnership is not just commercial but also cultural.”

He said: “ASEAN is the main pillar of India’s Act East Policy. India has always supported ASEAN Centrality and ASEAN’s outlook on the Indo-Pacific. During these times of uncertainty, the India-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has made steady progress, and our strong partnership is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth.”

–IANS

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