KUALA LUMPUR: The External Affairs Minister of India Dr S. Jaishankar is on an official two-day visit to Malaysia from March 27 to 28, according to a statement by the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) on Wednesday.

Wisma Putra said Jaishankar is accompanied by senior officials of the Government of India on this leg of his Southeast Asian tour, which includes the Philippines and Singapore.

According to the statement, while in Malaysia the Indian Minister is the guest of Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

"The two Ministers had a productive and frank discussion, including exchanging views on the multifaceted dimensions of Malaysia-India bilateral affairs as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.

"Both Ministers also discussed the exchange of high-level visits and the convening of the 7th Joint Commission Meeting of Malaysia and India on a mutually agreeable date," said the statement.

Wisma Putra noted that this was their first meeting since the Foreign Minister took office in December 2023.

"Jaishankar is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today and meet with Minister of Digital Gobind Singh Deo.

"Bound by robust economic partnerships and close people-to-people ties, Malaysia and India share a long-standing and substantive relationship," it said.

The ministry said that in 2023, India was Malaysia's 12th largest global trading partner with total trade amounting to RM77.76 billion (US$16.53 billion).

-- BERNAMA