NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for the review of the Asean-India free trade agreement (FTA) to be completed in a time-bound manner.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Hyderabad House here, Modi highlighted Malaysia's significant role in Asean and the Indo-Pacific regions.
India strongly supports Asean centrality in the region, Modi said.
He affirmed India's full support for Malaysia's upcoming chairmanship of Asean in 2025.
India and Asean have held several rounds of talks to make changes to the Asean-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) to make the FTA more trade-facilitative and beneficial for businesses across the region. These talks started in May 2023.
"We agree that the review of the FTA between Asean and India should be completed in a time-bound manner," Modi said.
India sees Malaysia as a key partner for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region and Modi made indirect references to the region's geopolitics.
"In line with international law, we are committed to the freedom of navigation and overflights, and are in favour of peaceful resolution of all disputes," Modi said.
He expressed gratitude to Anwar for his friendship and committed to strengthening bilateral ties, noting that Anwar's visit has set a new direction for India-Malaysia relations in the coming decade.
Modi announced the establishment of the Thiruvalluvar study chair at the University of Malaya in honour of the revered Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar.
He added that both leaders had also discussed new opportunities for defence cooperation.
Modi underscored the importance of the three-million strong Indian diaspora in Malaysia, describing it as a "living bridge" between the two nations.
He announced that India will allot 100 seats to Malaysian candidates in Indian educational institutions for studying advanced subjects such as cyber security and artificial intelligence.