India keen on stronger bilateral, regional ties with Malaysia

May 3rd, 2011 - 5:26 pm ICT by ANI  

Kaula Lumpur, May 3 (ANI): Emphasising India’s keenness to take its relationship with Malaysia forward, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said: “We are on the path to stronger and more diverse cooperation in both bilateral and regional fields.”

Addressing media at the conclusion of the fifth Joint Commission Meeting here, Krishna said: “We have established a strategic partnership. We have signed the comprehensive economic cooperation agreement. These recent developments have deepened our friendship.”

He further said the early completion of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in services and investments, which, we hope that Malaysia, as ASEAN coordinator, will facilitate, is desirable.

“We regard Malaysia as one of our key interlocutors in ASEAN and we discussed the importance of strengthening India-ASEAN ties. We also look forward to the participation of Prime Minister Najib in the special India-ASEAN Summit that India will host in 2012,” he added.

About the Joint Commission Meeting, Krishna said: “I received similar assurances from the Malaysian leaders and we are satisfied and happy that there is a common desire to make the India-Malaysia partnership into a pillar of our respective foreign policies.”

“Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah and I have agreed that the early implementation of all the understandings and agreements enshrined in the joint statement on the framework for a strategic partnership, should be our foremost priority. We reviewed progress over the past six months,” he added.

He further said: “We have had an in-depth exchange of views on how we can make early progress on issues such as a revised Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement and a MoU on Customs Cooperation and operationalization of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism.”

“We have also requested the Malaysian side to consider greater imports from India as a way of having balanced and sustainable trade in the long term,” he added. (ANI)

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