CHENNAI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has arrived here as part of his six-day state visit to India.
Najib, who will also cover Jaipur and New Delhi during his visit, is here on the invitation of his counterpart, Narendra Modi.
His arrival at the Chennai international airport was greeted by High Commissioner of Malaysia to India Datuk Hidayat Abdul Hamid and senior Indian officials.
Najib, who is accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Rosman Mansor, was then greeted on arrival at the ITC Grand Chola hotel by Health Minister Datuk Seri S Subramaniam; Special Envoy for Infrastructure to India and South Asia Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu; Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa; and Foreign Affairs Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ramlan Ibrahim, among others.
He will have a meeting with acting Tamil Nadu governor Vidhyasagar Rao and Chief Minister Eddapadi Palaniswamy at the governor's residence later today.
Tomorrow, Najib will attend a meeting with the Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI). He will also meet Malaysians and students in Tamil Nadu.
Najib will perform Friday prayers at the famous Anjuman Mosque, before leaving for New Delhi.
Najib's visit, his third since becoming prime minister in 2009, marks the 60th anniversary of bilateral ties between Malaysia and India. India is among Malaysia's biggest trading partners and export destinations. Relations have blossomed since Najib's first visit in 2010, with the establishment of the Malaysia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), partnerships in defence ventures, counter terrorism, tourism and culture, and IT, services and infrastructure projects being among the key achievements.