Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) India Wednesday rolled out a red carpet to welcome Malaysian Prime Minister Mohammad Najib Tun Abdul Razak as the two sides geared up to ink more than a dozen agreements that are expected to take their economic ties to a new level.
The Malaysian leader was accorded a ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan in the morning as he began the official leg of his five-day state visit to India.

Razak, who arrived in New Delhi Tuesday night, called on President Pratibha Patil and conveyed the greetings of the people of Malaysia for India’s Republic Day function next week.

He also met United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna called on the visiting Malaysian leader and discussed a host of bilateral issues and agreements that would be signed after his talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later in the evening.

“The latest count is 13 and we are still counting,” Razak had said in Kuala Lumpur Monday when asked about agreements to be signed during the visit.

Infrastructure, IT, biotechnology, energy and education have emerged as promising areas of cooperation between the two countries.

The visit is also expected to give a fresh impetus to negotiations on comprehensive economic partnership agreement between them.

Bilateral trade had reached $10 billion and the two sides are hoping it will multiply in the future.

Accompanied by senior ministers, state chief ministers and a large business delegation, Razak had arrived in New Delhi Tuesday evening.