Baku, Azerbaijan (NVI): In the first minister-level contact between India and Malaysia since their ties strained following the latter’s negative remarks on Kashmir in UN, the foreign ministers of the two countries met on the sidelines of Non-Aligned Movement Ministerial meeting here on October 24 and “had open and candid conversation.”
“Had an open and candid conversation with my Malaysian counterpart @saifuddinabd (Saifuddin Abdullah) on outstanding issues,” Indian foreign Minister Jaishankar tweeted.
The meeting assumes significance in the backdrop of tension between India and Malaysia after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad raised Kashmir issue at the United Nations General Assembly last month, saying the Kashmir had been “invaded and occupied.” In response, India had said that Kuala Lumpur should keep in mind the friendly relations shared by the two countries and desist from making such remarks.
There are also reports of Indian traders shunning import of Malaysian palm oil in retaliation to Malaysian stand on Kashmir. India has been the largest importer of the Malaysian oil.
“Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession like all other princely states. Pakistan invaded and illegally occupied parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The Government of Malaysia should bear in mind the friendly relations between the two countries and desist from making such remarks,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said during a briefing here on October 4.
-nad
