‘Fortunate To Be A Personal Friend’: Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim Praises PM Modi - VIDEO

New Delhi: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, at an Indian diaspora programme in Kuala Lumpur, said that he was ‘fortunate’ to be a great personal friend of PM Modi. Addressing the gathering, he said, “Prime Minister Modi ji, I have followed your struggle, and I say this: I am fortunate to be a great personal friend of Modi ji, of India.”

"I am personally very excited, very thankful, very appreciative, that I have a great friend from India joining us in Malaysia. This gathering recognises something deep and enduring between the two nations," he added.

Speaking on the historic connections between the two countries, he said, "This gathering recognises something deep and enduring between the two nations. Long before there were embassies and trade agreements, long before there were nation-states, traders, scholars, and sailors, across the Indian Ocean between the Indian Subcontinent and the Malay Archipelago, consider the Baliyatra, one of the oldest maritime commemorations observed in India," he added.

Addressing PM Modi, he said, "Prime Minister Modi ji, let me assure you that when Malaysia embarked on building a great nation from its diversity, the Indian community, my brothers and sisters, was an integral partner in that journey."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also addressed the Indian diaspora, calling them a “living bridge” that connects Indian and Malaysian hearts.

"Malaysia has the second largest Indian origin community in the world. There is so much that connects Indian and Malaysian hearts... You are the living bridge that links us. You have connected Roti Canai with Malabar Parotta. Coconut, spices, and of course, Teh tarik," he said.