Jaishankar meets NZ PM Luxon, Malaysian counterpart on ASEAN sidelines

Kuala Lumpur: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday held separate meetings with New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Haji Hasan here, discussing bilateral relations and regional issues. The meetings took place on the sidelines of the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), for which Jaishankar is in Kuala Lumpur. During his meeting with Luxon, the external affairs minister extended "warm greetings" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Welcome his (Luxon's) commitment to advance our bilateral cooperation and nurture a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said in a post on X. Jaishankar described his meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Hasan as "warm" and said the two foreign ministers discussed the "progress in our bilateral cooperation". They also exchanged views on the Myanmar situation, he said in a separate post on X.

Jaishankar said he also conveyed to Hasan "best wishes for successful ASEAN and East Asia Summits." On Sunday, he held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. “Value his thoughts on strengthening our bilateral cooperation and people-to-people linkages,” Jaishankar had said in a social media post. Malaysia is hosting the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping. The 11-nation ASEAN is considered one of the most influential blocs in the region, with India and several other countries, including the US, China, Japan and Australia, being its dialogue partners.