The history of Russia-Malaysia relations dates back to 1966, when the first direct contacts between representatives of the USSR and Malaysia took place. On April 3, 1967, diplomatic relations were established and a trade agreement was signed. In November 1967, the USSR Trade Office was opened in Kuala Lumpur, and in April 1968, the USSR Embassy was opened. The Malaysian Embassy in Moscow was opened in November 1968.
Despite the fact that formal ties between our countries were established relatively recently, Russian explorers got acquainted with distant Malaya at the turn of the 18-19th centuries, described its exotic nature and crafts with admiration, and noted the honesty and nobility of local people.
The renowned Russian navigator Adam Johann von Krusenstern visited Malaya in 1798 and brought home with him a monument of Malay literature – a copy of the manuscript "Malay Annals" created during the heyday of the Malacca Sultanate (circa 1400-1511). Currently, it is kept in the library of the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg.
A special role in the study of Malaya belongs to the Russian researcher Nikolai Miklukho-Maklay who visited the Malacca Peninsula twice in 1874-1875. With the assistance of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor, who understood the importance of this mission, our scientist travelled on the territory of modern Malaysia and collected unique anthropological and ethnographic data about the local population.
During World War I, in October 1914, as a result of a treacherous attack by the German cruiser “Emden” off the coast of Penang, the Russian cruiser “Zhemchug” was sunk. Malaysian fishermen helped rescue the wounded and retrieve the bodies of the dead from the water. A memorial was erected in honour of the Russian sailors at the cemetery of Georgetown and on the neighbouring Jerejak.
The friendly relations between Russia and Malaysia at the present stage are a vivid example of an open, equal and mutually respectful dialogue between states and peoples. We enjoy the productive cooperation in the political field, between parliaments and parties, foreign and other ministries, regions of the two countries.
Russian President Mr Vladimir Putin visited Malaysia on several occasions: twice in 2003 (on an official visit and to participate in the OIC Summit) and in 2005 in connection with the first Russia-ASEAN Summit.
We appreciate the constructive position of the Unity Government, headed by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, which demonstrates the continuity of the policy to maintain friendly, pragmatic, mutually beneficial relations with Russia.
We pay priority attention to strengthening and diversifying trade, economic and investment ties. The supply of hydrocarbons, machinery, equipment and vehicles, chemical industry and agricultural products is at the core of our trade. There is positive experience in the implementation of large investment projects in both countries in the fields of woodworking, petrochemistry, agriculture and high technology. A factory for the production of fiberboard, built by the Malaysian business, has been operating in the Russian Khabarovsk Territory since 2011. In 2019, the JV plant for the production of non-carcinogenic ("green") petroleum oils-plasticizers for tires, synthetic rubbers and rubber mixtures was launched in the State of Johor.
Last year, the work of the Joint Russian-Malaysian Commission for Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation was resumed. In November 2023, within its framework the second meeting was held in Kuala Lumpur, co-chaired by Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Mr Valery Falkov and Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia Dato’ Seri Haji Mohamed Khaled bin Nordin. The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation in finance, agriculture, high-tech, education, science, and tourism.
In May 2023, we had the honour to host a large Malaysian delegation at the 14th International Economic Forum "Russia – the Islamic World: KazanForum" in the Russian city of Kazan. A roundtable dedicated to Russian-Malaysian cooperation was organised on the sidelines of the Forum.
On the same occasion, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia Datuk Seri Haji Mohamad Sabu and Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Mr Dmitry Patrushev met in Moscow and agreed to increase cooperation in agriculture and halal industry.
In July 2023, negotiations were held in Kuala Lumpur on the prospects for cooperation in space exploration; back in 2007, the first Malaysian Angkasawan Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, trained in Russia and was sent to the International Space Station.
Higher education remains one of the important areas of cooperation. We appreciate that many Malaysian boys and girls choose Russian universities to obtain bachelor's and master's degrees in various specialties, the most popular of which is medicine. We are proud that more than 6,000 Malaysians have already graduated from our universities.
I am sure that in the future we will have more joint programs focused on educational and academic exchanges. We pay special attention to cooperation in the TVET. Last year, leading universities of two countries signed more than 30 MoUs.
Academic mobility programs and joint initiatives in the field of preservation of architectural and historical heritage, religious and cultural values are being implemented. Inter-museum contacts are developing. Russian coaches are training Malaysian national teams in rhythmic gymnastics and sambo. There are also serious prospects for cooperation in the field of Islamic banking, with pilot projects on this topic being implemented in a number of Russian regions.
There is a lot of research work on Malaysian language, history and culture carried out in Russia. Malay is taught at the Institute of Asian and African Studies at Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and St. Petersburg State University. In Malaysia, Russian is taught at the UniKL MIAT, Universiti Malaya and the Russian House in Kuala Lumpur.
We would like to see more Malaysian tourists visiting Moscow, St. Petersburg and other regions of our large country. Our cities are actively developing, becoming more modern and comfortable. In the vast expanses of Russia with its diverse natural resources, every traveller will find something to his or her liking. We are ready to create conditions for increasing the number of Russian tourist arrivals in Malaysia annually – 109,000 in 2023.
In conclusion, I would like to note that Russia-Malaysia cooperation has great potential for further successful development and implementation of many mutually beneficial projects. My contacts with colleagues from Putrajaya only prove this.
Russia values friendly relations with the people of Malaysia and is ready to further strengthen and scale them up.
Andrey Rudenko
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation
