VLADIVOSTOK (Russia): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s two-day working visit here is a major boost for bilateral ties between Malaysia and Russia.
His keynote address at the plenary session of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) on Thursday received several rounds of applause from the Russians.
Describing the visit as an important one to himself, Anwar, who is on his very first visit to Russia, said this trip has opened up more significant opportunities for the two countries to enhance bilateral cooperation.
He said the bilateral meeting with President Vladimir Putin was also fully utilised not only to enhance trade relations, but also government-to-government (G2G) cooperation, including in aerospace, advanced technology, energy transition, and modern agriculture.
Additionally, topics including the economy, research, education, as well as halal product development and the Islamic finance industry had also been discussed, said Anwar who is the Finance Minister.
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Anwar's presence in Vladivostok to participate in the plenary session of the 9th EEF was at the invitation of the Russian President.
The EEF is an annual economic forum held in Russia's Far East region, since 2015, to promote investment and economic development as well as international cooperation in the region.
Themed "Combining Strength to Create New Potential”, this year’s forum was attended by high-level foreign and local dignitaries, policymakers, academics, and captains of industries.
The Prime Minister arrived here on Sept 4, accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Aziz, Mentri Besar Selangor Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib, as well as Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup and senior government officials.
Indeed, a wide range of issues were discussed with the host, including Malaysia’s participation in BRICS, Asean chairmanship in 2025, Israel’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Palestine, and the call for direct flights connecting the two nations.
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On BRICS, Anwar said Malaysia is among the countries prioritised for potential BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) membership, and Putin had personally extended an invitation to the Prime Minister to participate in the forthcoming BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, slated for Oct 22 to 24.
Anwar reassured that joining BRICS would not only allow Malaysia to benefit from the Global South economies but also enable the nation to share its expertise, especially due to its position as a semiconductor hub in the region.
On July 28, Anwar reportedly said that Malaysia had sent an application to Russia to join BRICS and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who paid a courtesy call on Anwar during his visit to Malaysia that day, also gave assurance that Russia would extend its support to Malaysia’s aspiration to join the intergovernmental organisation.
"Malaysia has sent a letter of application to join the BRICS group to Russia as the BRICS chairman, besides expressing openness to participate as a member country or strategic partner,” he said.
Earlier on June 18, Anwar confirmed Malaysia's intention to join BRICS to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
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BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for the largest developing economies, uniting Brazil, Russia, India and China. South Africa joined the group in 2010.
On Jan 1 this year, BRICS expanded its membership to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.
On Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean next year, Anwar has also extended an invitation to Putin to attend the 2025 Asean Summit.
During their meeting, Anwar also assured Putin that, as Asean chairman, Malaysia will strive to boost the regional grouping’s collaboration with Russia in all fields.
On the human rights issue, particularly the development in Palestine and Ukraine, Anwar said Malaysia and Russia agreed to demand that Israel stop the violent and cruel attacks on Gaza immediately.
Anwar also urged the world to oppose all forms of colonisation.
While assuring that Malaysia is a friendly country without being dictated by any power, Anwar said Malaysia and Russia should consider introducing direct flights to increase the passage of tourists between the two countries.
According to the Prime Minister, Malaysia received over 100,000 tourist arrivals from Russia last year, and there is a potential to boost Russian tourist arrivals to Malaysia with more flight connections.
Currently, only transit flights via China are available to connect the two countries.
Meanwhile, on the Russian side, Putin reportedly said there are ample opportunities to expand trade relations with Malaysia.
Kremlin.ru reported that Putin also said Russia is expected to find new points of contact with Asean when Malaysia becomes Asean chairman in 2025.
In 2023, Russia was Malaysia’s 8th largest trading partner among European countries, with total bilateral trade increased by 15.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to RM14.22bil (US$3.1bil), compared to RM12.3bil (US$2.79bil) recorded in 2022. - Bernama
