PM Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for ASEAN Summit, Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim confirms

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 47th ASEAN Summit virtually, rather than travelling to Kuala Lumpur, citing India’s Deepavali celebrations, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed on Thursday.

In a post on X, Anwar said Modi had called him on Wednesday to discuss strengthening Malaysia–India relations across trade, investment, technology, education, and regional security.

“He informed me that he will attend virtually due to the ongoing Deepavali celebrations in India at that time,” Anwar added, extending festive greetings to the Indian people.

The decision comes ahead of the summit scheduled for October 26–28, where External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is expected to represent India on-site.

India has been a dialogue partner of ASEAN since 1995 and a summit-level partner since 2002, with ties spanning trade, defence, and regional security.

Anwar reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and ASEAN–India cooperation.

“Malaysia will remain committed to strengthening Malaysia–India relations and further enhancing ASEAN–India cooperation towards a more peaceful and prosperous region,” he said.

Malam tadi saya menerima panggilan telefon dari rakan sejawat Perdana Menteri Republik India Narendra Modi bagi membincangkan usaha memperkukuh hubungan dua hala Malaysia–India ke tahap yang lebih strategik dan menyeluruh.

India kekal sebagai rakan penting Malaysia di lapangan… pic.twitter.com/gVCfU8YJxD

— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) October 23, 2025