Jaishankar meets his Malaysian counterpart, holds 'candid conversation' on 'outstanding issues'

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met his Malaysian counterpart Saifuddin Abdullah on the sidelines of the NAM Ministerial Meeting here and held an "open and candid conversation" on "outstanding issues."

"Had an open and candid conversation with my Malaysian counterpart @saifuddinabd on outstanding issues," tweeted Jaishankar.

Jaishankar's meeting with Abdullah comes at a time when tensions are high between India and Malaysia after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad angered India when he raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir in the United Nations General Assembly last month.

He said that Jammu and Kashmir had been "invaded and occupied," adding that "there may be reasons for this action but it is still wrong."

Responding to Mahathir raising the issue which most of the countries have termed as New Delhi's internal matter, India had said that Kuala Lumpur should keep in mind the friendly relations shared by the two countries and desist from making such remarks.

"Jammu and Kashmir signed the Instrument of Accession like all other princely states. Pakistan invaded and illegally occupied parts of Jammu and Kashmir. The Government of Malaysia should bear in mind the friendly relations between the two countries and desist from making such remarks," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said during a briefing here on October 4.

Moreover, Malaysia had to face a backlash from Indian twitter users after a hashtag movement 'BoycottMalaysia' started trending, urging Indian citizens not to travel to Malaysia.

Jaishankar, who is in Baku to attend the 18th session of the NAM, also meet his counterpart of Yemen Mohammed A Al-Hadhrami. He also met Afghanistan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib and Myanmar's Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin. India is a founding member of NAM, which is one of the largest gatherings of world leaders.