Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim escorted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a restricted meeting at Hyderabad House on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI (Aug 20): Malaysia and India on Tuesday solidified their bilateral relations with the exchange of eight Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs).

The MOUs cover a broad range of sectors, including worker recruitment, traditional medicine, digital technologies, culture, tourism and public administration.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is on a three-day official visit to India from August 19, and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, witnessed the MOU exchange at Hyderabad House here.

Hyderabad House is used by the government of India for official state functions, particularly high-level meetings and banquets involving visiting foreign dignitaries.

The first MOU, concerning the recruitment, employment and repatriation of workers, was inked and exchanged between Minister of Human Resources Steven Sim Chee Keong, and India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar.

The second MOU, on Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine, was exchanged between Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and his counterpart, Jaishankar.

The MOU on cooperation in the field of digital technologies was exchanged between Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo and Jaishankar.

The MOU on cooperation in the fields of culture, arts and heritage was exchanged between Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and Jaishankar. Tiong and Jaishankar also exchanged another MOU on tourism cooperation.

The MOU on public administration and governance reforms was exchanged between Public Services Department director general Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz and the Secretary (East) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Jaideep Mazumdar.

The MOU on cooperation in the fields of youth and sports was exchanged between Mohamad Hasan and Jaishankar.

Last but not least, the MOU between the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA) was exchanged between the chairman of LFSA, Datuk Wan Mohd Fadzmi Che Wan Othman Fadzillah and Indian High Commissioner to Malaysia, BN Reddy.

At the ceremony, co-chair of the India-Malaysia CEO Forum Tan Sri Kuna Sittampalam presented the report of the second India-Malaysia CEO Forum to Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz.

These agreements are expected to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two nations, promoting cooperation across various fields and creating new opportunities for mutual growth and development.