Published: Sunday July 5, 2009 MYT 1:39:00 PM
Australia heads towards better ties with Malaysia
MELBOURNE: Australia is moving to improve ties with Malaysia even further, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said.
Speaking ahead of his visit to Malaysia on Monday, Smith said he wanted to underline the importance of links with a close neighbour.
“The relationship in recent historical terms has had its moments,” he told the Nine TV Network on Sunday.
“We want to put that and have put that behind us but it is, we think, open to both Australia and Malaysia to enhance and further entrench a very good relationship.”
Smith said he believed much more could be done with Malaysia both in the region and internationally.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Smith are both visiting Malaysia on Monday
Rudd will be on a six-day foreign trip with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur where he will hold his first face-to-face talks with new Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Talks are likely to include discussion on ways to curb people smuggling, the impact of the global recession on the region and Rudd’s campaign for a new Asia Pacific community.
Smith said it was unusual for both the prime minister and the foreign minister to visit simultaneously.
“But we want to underline the importance of the relationship we have with Malaysia. It has of course in the recent historical period had its moments,” he said.
“But we have a much better relationship with Malaysia now but we want to reinforce and underline that, Malaysia has historically been a very important partner with Australia.”
Smith said this would be his first official visit to Malaysia and first meeting with Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman.
“Mr Anifah and I will hold the inaugural Australia-Malaysia Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
Australia and Malaysia will hold the meeting regularly. It will serve as the principal ministerial forum for the bilateral relationship,” he said in a statement.
Smith said he and Anifah would cover a range of regional and global issues, including security developments in the region, the continuing need for close cooperation in response to the global recession, and the importance of regional institutions like Asean and the East Asia Summit to these interests.-Bernama
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