M'sia must be positioned to benefit if Russia-US ties improve, says minister
Foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said relations between Malaysia and Russia have not flourished as much as they could have.
MOSCOW : Malaysia must be prepared to seize emerging opportunities in trade and cooperation, particularly if geopolitical tensions between Russia and the US ease, says foreign minister Mohamad Hasan.
He said Russia presented vast untapped opportunities due to its diverse resources and technological strengths, including in agriculture and other sectors.
'Malaysia and Russia have long-standing relations, but they haven't flourished as much as they could have due to the unilateral sanctions imposed on Russia by the US,' he said.
'There is much potential here, and we must be ready to explore these opportunities. Should US-Russia relations improve, we need to be positioned to benefit from it.
'Washington's current approach differs from (administrations) before, and I believe if ties normalise, Malaysia stands to gain significantly,' he said at a dinner with Malaysians in Russia on Tuesday.
The dinner was in conjunction with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Russia, which began on Tuesday.
Also present were agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu; science, technology and innovation minister Chang Lih Kang; higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir; and plantation and commodities minister Johari Ghani.
In his speech, Mohamad encouraged Malaysian students in Russia to uphold the nation's good name and return to contribute to Malaysia upon completing their studies, particularly in critical sectors such as medicine and engineering.
Chang meanwhile stressed the importance of skilled talent to drive Malaysia's ambition of becoming a high-tech nation by 2030.
'With global uncertainties, it's a challenge to attract high quality, technology-driven and capital-intensive investments. We need a highly skilled workforce, both locally and from Malaysians abroad like all of you here,' he said.
In his brief speech, Johari said he had been appointed as coordinating minister for Russia, a role aimed at facilitating trade engagement with Russia amid the ongoing sanctions.
Anwar arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for a four-day official visit at the invitation of Russian president Vladimir Putin. The visit includes engagements in Moscow and Kazan.
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