He also hopes the issue of Vietnamese fishermen’s encroachment in Malaysian waters can be dealt with as firmly as possible.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim held discussions with four Asean leaders on bilateral ties and cooperation at the 42nd Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, today.
Anwar, in a statement on his Facebook page, said he paid a courtesy call on the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Pengiran Muda ‘Abdul Mateen Bolkiah.
He expressed his wish to see Bandar Seri Begawan’s involvement in the annual leaders’ consultation this year where Putrajaya is the host.
“Apart from that, the discussion was also focused on investment, landmarking, cooperation in culture and education for the benefit of both countries,” he said.
Anwar also held a meeting with the prime minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, and expressed Malaysia’s desire to receive their delegation in Putrajaya in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The discussion also touched on investment, apart from hoping that the issue of Vietnamese fishermen’s encroachment in Malaysian waters could be dealt with as firmly as possible.
“In this summit, I also had a bilateral meeting with my counterpart from Laos, Sonexay Siphandone. We agreed to cooperate more in the fields of banking, training programmes for officers and diplomats, besides education and the agricultural industry.
“After that, I also held a bilateral meeting with my counterpart from Timor Leste, Taur Matan Ruak. I reiterated my full support regarding the republic’s application to join the Asean family,” he said.
Anwar said the discussion with the prime minister of Timor Leste also touched on the need to increase opportunities for cooperation in investment, trade, agriculture and food manufacturing.
Anwar and other Asean leaders are attending the two-day summit starting today, to discuss several issues of common interest to the regional grouping.
A total of eight heads of government from the 10 Asean member countries participated in the summit, except for Myanmar, which was not invited, and Thailand, which is facing a general election on May 14.
Source: FMT