Kerala and Malaysia seek to turn historic diaspora links into stronger partnerships across technology, tourism, education, healthcare, trade and investment, reports India Daily News Desk
Kerala and Malaysia are looking to deepen cooperation in technology, tourism, education and trade after Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during his visit to Kozhikode.
The 40-minute meeting focused on expanding practical links between the two sides, with Satheesan highlighting Kerala’s long-standing cultural relationship with Malaysia and the sizeable Malayali community that has established deep roots there.
Satheesan described meeting Anwar as an “absolute honour” and said the historic cultural ties between Kerala and Malaysia, together with the Malayali diaspora, continued to provide a strong foundation for closer cooperation.
The discussions covered information technology, sustainable tourism, higher education and trade, areas that Kerala is seeking to develop through stronger international partnerships.
Anwar, who was in India for the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, said the meeting was part of Malaysia’s broader “MADANI Diplomacy” approach to building stronger partnerships at the state level. He said Kerala offered considerable potential for expanding Malaysia-India economic cooperation, particularly through trade and investment.
The Malaysian Prime Minister also identified the digital economy, healthcare, tourism, education and other high-value sectors as areas for greater collaboration. He invited Satheesan to lead a trade and diplomatic delegation to Malaysia to continue discussions and turn the potential identified during the meeting into concrete projects.
The engagement comes against the backdrop of Kerala’s unusually deep historical connections with Malaysia. Malayali migration to the country predates the large-scale movement of workers from Kerala to the Gulf from the 1970s, and several Malayali families in Malaysia are now into their third generation.
Anwar’s Kerala visit also highlighted the relationship’s cultural and educational dimensions. He visited the Markaz in Kozhikode and met Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliyar, the Grand Mufti of India, for discussions covering education, culture, knowledge exchange and the welfare of the Indian community in Malaysia.
The Malaysian leader also received the Sheikh Abu Bakar Foundation’s Excellence Award during a reception at the Markaz Convention Centre. As a gesture recognising Malaysia’s support for international Hadith recitation gatherings, he was presented with a handwritten manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari.
The visit was Anwar’s second to the Markaz after his earlier visit in 2022, shortly before he became Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
With the latest talks linking diaspora ties with investment, technology and education, Kerala is seeking to turn a long-standing people-to-people relationship into a broader platform for economic and institutional cooperation.
