[UPDATED] Anwar: Asean Power Grid a major milestone of 46th Summit

New Straits Times

6 days ago

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has hailed the Asean Power Grid (APG) as one of the key successes of this year's 46th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
"We are not only making an impressive announcement of a gigantic project for diplomatic collaboration, but this time, we have been able to concretise it through effective programmes and projects," he said.
He made the remarks during a joint press conference with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh after the latter's inaugural visit to Malaysia today.
Anwar said the initiative was consistent with the region's energy transition policy and expressed gratitude to Vietnam for its support.
He also thanked Vietnam for its ongoing cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral platforms, including its participation in the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima '25).
Since the elevation of ties between the two nations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, Anwar said rapid progress had been seen in agriculture, maritime and academic cooperation.
He also confirmed continued commitments to joint operations and security arrangements.
The prime minister expressed admiration for Vietnam's historic resilience and longstanding ties with Malaysia, recalling the country's fight against imperialism and its support for regional unity.
He also praised Vietnam's economic performance, calling it phenomenal and a source of inspiration.
"Vietnam's economy has done incredibly well, but younger Malaysians may not appreciate that you started from a very low base.
"The country was devastated. But in just a few decades, you have transformed.
"It's something we admire, and there are areas from which we can learn.
"I remember in my youth, we set up a team of Southeast Asian intellectuals to promote Vietnam's inclusion into Asean, with friends from Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore."
Addressing Pham Minh Chinh directly, Anwar said: "Personally, prime minister, I am delighted to have you as a friend, and to have Vietnam as a great friend of Malaysia."
Earlier, Anwar and Chinh witnessed the exchange of three documents aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of energy, education, and regional integration.
The documents included a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) on the Asean Power Grid and strategic capacity development, a Letter of Intent for cooperation between Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) and Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, and a Letter of Note between UKM and Vietnam National University, Hanoi focusing on strategic collaboration and Asean Integration between Malaysia and Vietnam.