The strong presence of two million Indian origin people in Malaysia had always been a concern for the Indian leaders and Jawahar Lal Nehru made special efforts to secure the welfare of Indian Diaspora here. Presently, Indo-Malay relations have made a steady but reliable partnership in many areas including trade, defence and cultural exchanges.

Globalisation has led to a high level of inter-connectedness as we move into a boundary-less world which is a result of rapid growth in IT sector and international business. Multinationals are coming to Malaysia and Malaysian corporations are venturing overseas.

India and Malaysia have a long history of trade and cultural relations. Diplomatic relations between India and Malaysia were established in 1957 and the two countries in 2016 have completed the 59th anniversary of the foundation of their diplomatic engagement. Bilateral relations between India and Malaysia are cordial: both countries have interactions in various domains of economic, political, strategic, and cultural activities; and have cooperated on a sustained basis at various international fora.

The summit had in attendance leaders from more than 50 countries and four international organisations — the European Union, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Interpol, and the UN. India circulated its national progress report on nuclear security measures at the summit.

At the invitation of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques His Majesty King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Narendra Modi paid a two-day official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April 2-3, 2016.