Kuala lumpur: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim departed from Keralam, previously known as Kerala, for an official visit to the Maldives after concluding his five-day working visit to India. The aircraft carrying the Prime Minister took off from Calicut International Airport at 7.26 pm local time (9.56 pm Malaysian time), heading to Velana International Airport in Male.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar, who also serves as the Finance Minister, is accompanied on this trip by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani and Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri R. Ramanan. During their stay in Male, Anwar and Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu are set to evaluate the progress of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest. Furthermore, the leaders are expected to witness the signing of memoranda of understanding (MoUs) on defence cooperation and Islamic affairs.

Earlier in Keralam, the Prime Minister engaged in discussions with Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan and Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, focusing on bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Keralam in crucial sectors such as trade and investment, tourism, healthcare, and education.

Anwar's visit to India began with his arrival in New Delhi on Friday to participate in the 18th BRICS Leaders' Summit, hosted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Diplomatic relations between Putrajaya and New Delhi were formalized in 1957, shortly after Malaysia's independence. India continues to be Malaysia's largest trading partner in South Asia, with bilateral trade projected to reach USD18.55 billion (RM79.33 billion) by 2025.