KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be meeting the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral relations during his working visit to the country on 4 and 5 September.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its statement said, the bilateral relations include trade and investment, higher education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), agriculture and food security and tourism and explore collaboration in new areas such as aerospace and advanced technologies.
“The prime minister and President Putin are also expected to exchange perspectives on the Russian-Ukraine conflict and the situation in the Middle-East.
“It is expected that both the leaders will discuss cooperation within the context of the ASEAN-Russian Dialogue Partnership,” the ministry said in its statement, Monday.
The statement added, the prime minister will also reiterate Malaysia’s interest to join BRICS to President Putin who is holding chairmanship of BRICS in 2024.
During the Prime Minister’s visit, he will be attending the 9th Eastern Economic Forum (9th EEF) in Vladivostok where he will also be addressing the plenary session held in the Russian Far East region which started in 2015 to promote economic development and international cooperation in the region.
According to the statement, the plenary session themed “Combining Strength to Create New Potentials” will be attended by high level foreign and local dignitaries, policy makers, academicians and captain of industries.
This is the prime minister’s first trip to Russia since leading the Unity Government in November 2022 and is accompanied among others by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
Meanwhile, in 2023, Russia was Malaysia’s eight largest trading partner among European countries. Total bilateral trade increased by 15.6 per cent to RM14.22 billion (USD3.1 billion) compared with RM12.3 billion (USD2.79 billion) recorded in 2022. – Malaysia World News
