“On terrorism, our message is clear: no double standards, no compromise,” Modi said during the joint press statement with his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim, on Sunday. The statement came soon after the bilateral talks between the two leaders during PM Modi’s official visit to the country.

In the field of security, we will strengthen cooperation in counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and maritime security,” Modi said, adding, “We will expand defence cooperation.”

“Along with AI and digital technologies, we will further our collaboration in semiconductors, health, and food security,” said the prime minister, charting the way ahead for the bilateral ties between the two ASEAN partners. “The CEO Forum held today has opened up new opportunities for trade and investment. We will chart the way to economic transformation through strategic trust,” he added.

Besides a slew of pacts signed in areas like defence and security, digital payments, social security for Indian workers, audio-visual collaboration and tourism, the joint statement emerging out of the delegation-level talks takes a clear stand on terrorism.

The two prime ministers unequivocally and strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, said the joint statement. They called for zero tolerance of terrorism and for concerted international efforts to combat terrorism in a comprehensive and sustained manner, it added.

The joint statement is a clear indication that Malaysia, which has a large Indian-origin population, has prioritised its bilateral relationship with India, marking a shift from its stand in the recent past, where it was seen to be aligning with Pakistan on issues like Kashmir.

As per the joint statement, the two leaders “agreed to counter radicalisation and violent extremism; combat financing of terrorism; prevent use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes, through cooperation in information and knowledge sharing, exchange of best practices and capacity building”.

They also recognised “the linkages between terrorism and transnational organised crime, and agreed to cooperate in the area of transnational organised crime, including through sharing of information and best practices”. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen bilateral and multilateral cooperation in countering terrorism, including in the UN and FATF, it said.

Modi?s remarks in Malaysia come days after India indicated that the extradition of fugitive preacher Zakir Naik would figure among a wide range of issues to be taken up during discussions with Ibrahim.

?Indo-Pacific region is emerging as the growth engine of the world?

Following wide-ranging talks between him and Ibrahim, Modi also spoke about New Delhi?s approach to the Indo-Pacific, saying, ?The Indo-Pacific region is emerging as the growth engine of the world.? Ibrahim, for his part, noted that India and Malaysia are steadily expanding cooperation in areas including trade, investment, connectivity and defence, while also pointing to India?s significant rise on the global trade and economic front.

Anwar said the ‌partnership included deep collaborations in multiple fields, including trade and investments, food security, defence, healthcare and tourism. ?It?s really comprehensive, and we believe that we can advance this and execute in a speedy manner with the commitment of our both governments,? ‌he said.

Following their meeting, Anwar and Modi ‌also witnessed the exchange of 11 cooperation agreements, including on semiconductors, disaster ‌management, and peacekeeping. Anwar ‍said India and Malaysia would continue efforts to promote the use of local-currency settlement and expressed hope that bilateral trade would surpass last year?s $18.6 billion mark.

Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. … Read More

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