PM-LD ARRIVAL 2LST

Singh, whose visit comes less than a year after
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's India tour, said
Malaysia plays a key role in the ASEAN region and the
high-level exchanges between the two countries were a
reflection of the strong mutual desire for a "qualitatively
new partnership".
Referring to the similarities between India and
Malaysia, he said in the "unsettled world" of Tuesday it is
important for democratic, multi-religious and multicultural
nations to work together.
"I will seek new areas of understanding with Prime
Minister Najib that reinforce the rich bonds of history and
culture that unite us," Singh said.
He said India shared a special bond with Malaysia
because that country "is home to one of the largest People of
Indian Origin communities of over two million, and I look to
forward to meeting some of them".
"I expect my visit to lead to greater integration of
our two economies and cooperation in the areas of
infrastructure development, railways, knowledge industries,
energy, defence and greater people-to-people exchanges. PTI