India, Malaysia Strategic Dialogue To Further Enhance Bilateral Ties

NEW DELHI, April 10 (Bernama) -- The Third India-Malaysia Strategic Dialogue will be held here this week to nurture the growing convergence of the two nations' regional and global interests and aspirations and further strengthen bilateral relations. The two-day dialogue from Thursday is hosted by The Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) in New Delhi. The Institute of Strategic and International Studies' (ISIS) Chief Executive Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin is leading the Malaysian delegation to the dialogue, the ICWA said in a statement on Tuesday. The dialogue will be divided into five sessions covering economics, defence, the role of multilateral institutions and the role of people-to-people contact and the diaspora in fostering bilateral relations. The Second ICWA-ISIS India-Malaysia Strategic Dialogue held in Kuala Lumpur in 2010 and the Framework Agreement on India-Malaysia Strategic Partnership had identified important focus areas for cooperation that would form the subject matter of the upcoming dialogue, it said. Policymakers, academics, strategy experts and journalists are expected to participate in the dialogue. India-Malaysia bilateral ties have grown significantly over the last few years, with the two countries signing the framework agreement for strategic partnership in October 2010 during Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Malaysia. Two-way relations were further consolidated and integrated, with the signing of a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement in July 2011. India and Malaysia are committed to the development of a stable and peaceful Asia-Pacific region and recognise the role of Asean in regional cooperation. While Malaysia is India’s third largest trading partner in Asean, India has become the third largest source of tourists' inflow into Malaysia after Asean countries and China last year. -- BERNAMA