From M. Saraswathi
NEW DELHI, Sept 11 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived here Friday to attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The aircraft carrying Anwar and his delegation landed at the Air Force Station (AFS) Palam, here at 6.30 pm local time (9 pm Malaysian time).
The Prime Minister was received by Foreign Ministry Deputy Secretary-General (Multilateral Affairs) Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Muhamad; Malaysia’s Chargé d'Affaires, Deputy High Commissioner Sharifah Ezneeda Wafa; Human Resource Ministry Deputy Secretary-General (Policy and International) Dr Mohd Shaharin Umar; and Defence Attaché Col Dr Nizlan Mohamed.
Also present were India’s Minister of State for External Affairs and Environment, Forest and Cimaye Change (Minister-In-Attendance) Kirti Vardhan Singh; Additional Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs Prashant Agrawal; and AFS VSM Air Commodore Rishabh Mittal.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, is accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri R. Ramanan during the working visit.
Hosted by Modi, the Summit carries the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”, with a focus on strengthening resilience, economic cooperation as well as trade and investment reforms.
As a founding member of BRICS, India has previously held its chairship three times in 2012, 2016 and 2021. India assumed its fourth BRICS chairship on Jan 1, 2026.
Malaysia’s participation in the BRICS Leaders’ Summit is in its capacity as a BRICS Partner Country since Jan 1, 2025.
Within hours of arriving in the Indian capital, Anwar is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin.
On Saturday (Sept 12), the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a meeting with Modi at Hyderabad House, the State Guest House of the Prime Minister of India, as well as Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on the sidelines of the summit.
Anwar is also scheduled to meet prominent captains of industry here.
He will then attend a gala dinner for leaders of BRICS member, partner and outreach countries at Bharat Mandapam, the exhibition and convention centre where the summit will take place
On Sunday (Sept 13), he will attend the 18th BRICS Leaders’ Summit opening session where the Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a National Statement on Shaping the Future for Inclusive Global Growth.
Malaysia will emphasise the importance of strengthening cooperation among BRICS member and partner countries in addressing development challenges, expanding economic opportunities, and ensuring that the benefits of technological advancement and innovation are enjoyed more inclusively by all countries.
Following this, Anwar will extend his working visit to Keralam (officially renamed from Kerala), a state on the Malabar Coast of southern India.
In Keralam, he will meet Grand Mufti of India Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad to exchange perspectives on community development, educational advancement, and interfaith harmony.
As part of the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Thiru V. D. Satheesan and Governor of Kerala Thiru Rajendra Vishwanath Arleka.
The engagements aim to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and the state of Keralam across key sectors such as trade and investment, tourism, healthcare and education.
Modern diplomatic relations between Putrajaya and New Delhi were established in 1957, shortly after Malaysia’s independence and India remains Malaysia’s largest trading partner in South Asia, with total bilateral trade reaching USD18.55 billion (RM79.33 billion) in 2025.
This working visit is expected to further solidify the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) between both nations, while unlocking new opportunities to expand mainly in high-impact cooperation across the economic, trade and investment, digital technology, and education sectors.
He will be heading to the Maldives on Sept 14.
-- BERNAMA
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