PUTRAJAYA OCT.1: Malaysia has expressed its concern over potential escalation of arms race in the region and reiterated its firm commitments to maintaining ASEAN as Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN).
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, the concerns were expressed by the Minister, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah to the Secretary of State of the United States of America, Antony Blinken in a telephone conversation held on 30th September 2021.
The statement said, both leaders expressed determination to continue the momentum of strong bilateral relations between Malaysia and the US in multifaceted areas, including health and security.
“They also discussed regional and international issues including the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership (AUKUS), the situation in Myanmar and the South China Sea.
“Datuk Saifuddin reiterated the call for all concerned parties to respect and comply with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the ASEAN’s Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty.
“Malaysia hopes for all concerned parties to strengthen existing cooperation so as to ensure peace, security, and stability in the region, as espoused in the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific,” the Ministry said in a statement here today.
Meanwhile, Datuk Saifuddin reiterated Malaysia’s utmost appreciation for the US generous contribution of one million doses of COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine delivered to the government of Malaysia last July and USD800, 000 financial aids through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in support of Malaysia’s National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.
“The US through its embassy in Kuala Lumpur has also been extending various other assistance and contributions worth USD2.85 million to Malaysia since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Both Foreign Ministers expressed commitments to maintaining continuous engagement between the two countries, including exchange of visits to capitalise on vast potentials of the Malaysia-US Comprehensive Partnership,” the statement said. –Malaysia World News
