Malaysia will help Indian entrepreneurs: PM Najib

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has said his country was ready to be India’s gateway into Southeast Asia by facilitating the entry of Indian entrepreneurs into the region.

Malaysia was “a strategic commercial destination” for Indians wishing to enter the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Najib said at the “Asean & India: Going Global TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Asia Pacific Conference” here Thursday.

“I reiterate that Malaysia will do what is necessary for Indian entrepreneurs to increasingly view Malaysia as a strategic commercial destination - a destination that can play a key role in their business’ onward growth and international expansions.

“Given the very strong formal and personal relationship between both governments, I am confident that we can provide the right political ambience which will result in much more burgeoning of commercial activities between the two countries and between Asean and India,” he said.

Asean and India represent a market of 1.7 billion people with a combined gross domestic product of approximately $3 trillion.

Malaysia, Najib said, would continue to engage India while continuing to play a leading role in building on the existing linkages between Asean and India.

“Our commitment is underscored by my visit to India earlier this year as well as the recent visit of my Indian counterpart Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Malaysia,” The Star newspaper quoted him as saying.

The significant exchanges, he said, accelerated mutual efforts, cemented close cultural ties and helped create numerous business and investment opportunities.

Many landmark agreements were also inked to boost trade and investment flow between the two countries, Najib said while recalling his talks with Manmohan Singh during the visit here last month.

Najib had visited India in January.

Malaysian organisation Bursa Malaysia, he said, was working with TiE to encourage Indian and NRI businesses to grab the opportunities offered by the Malaysian capital market.

Najib said his government would continue to pursue policies to help entrepreneurs to thrive and focus on initiatives that “will clearly communicate to the world that Malaysia is a country on the move”.