Anwar meets Macron in Paris to discuss trade, Gaza crisis
Anwar, on a two-day official visit, will also address the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Earlier in the day, he met with Francois Bayrou, his French counterpart.
After concluding talks with Macron, Anwar will travel to Brazil to attend the BRICS Leaders Summit from July 5 to 7. The summit is expected to focus on economic cooperation among emerging markets. -BERNAMA
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New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar wraps up three-nation visit to boost trade and ties
RIO DE JANEIRO: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim departed for home today after a series of official visits to three countries – Italy, France, and Brazil. The chartered flight from Malaysia Airlines carrying the premier and the Malaysian delegation departed the Galeao Air Force Base (BAGL) at 1pm local time (midnight Monday Malaysian time). This series of visits by the Prime Minister, starting with a three-day official visit to Italy, forms part of Malaysia's ongoing efforts to strengthen bilateral relations and promote economic cooperation at the global level. The visits to these major economic hubs – Rome, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro – were to strengthen Malaysia's diplomatic ties and trade relations with the respective nations. These three markets collectively recorded bilateral trade valued at RM50.91 billion (US$11.14 billion) last year. The Prime Minister was accompanied by a business delegation comprising representatives from major Malaysian corporations and innovative enterprises, including Petronas, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), Maybank, FGV, YTL Power, and Sunway. Anwar's inaugural visit to Italy was undertaken at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The visits were to further strengthen bilateral relations between the countries across a wide range of sectors. In Rome, the Prime Minister was accompanied by five Cabinet ministers, namely Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz. Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir was also part of the delegation. In Paris, the Prime Minister met with President Emmanuel Macron, with discussions focusing on trade, technology, and education, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In addition to a roundtable with France's industrial giants, the Prime Minister also engaged with local Muslim leaders, met Malaysian citizens in France, and delivered a public lecture at Sorbonne University on July 4. After the Paris stopover, Anwar headed to Rio de Janeiro to attend the 17th BRICS Summit upon invitation from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Malaysia's role as a BRICS Partner Country and Asean Chair for 2025 was to emphasise the importance of multilateralism based on law, governance of artificial intelligence, climate action, and global health, representing the aspirations of over 650 million Asean citizens. Anwar attended the BRICS Summit as a partner country to the bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. - BERNAMA
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar: Meeting with Myanmar junta under Asean mandate
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim defended his meeting with Myanmar junta leader General Min Aung Hlaing in Bangkok last April, stating that it was conducted under an Asean mandate. Anwar stressed that the first such meeting by an Asean chair since the 2021 coup was mandated to secure a ceasefire and enable post-earthquake humanitarian assistance following the devastating earthquake on March 28 in Myanmar. He said the matter was discussed with all the leaders of Asean, and none objected. "I came with that mandate. Number one, ceasefire. Of course, there may be one or two scuffles, but then it was agreed. "Number two, humanitarian assistance, transparent, no discrimination. We had our field hospital from the military, from Malaysia to serve all from all regions (in Myanmar)," he said in an interview with France 24 published on the network's digital platforms today. The Prime Minister met Min Aung Hlaing, who is also the Chairman of Myanmar's State Administration Council, in Bangkok on April 18 during his two-day working visit to Thailand. Anwar described the engagement as a strategic shift from Asean's previous non-engagement policy, which had failed to produce results. "But at least now, for a month, there's been a ceasefire. Yes, there have been complaints of one or two incidents, but not the continued bombings and destruction," he said. On the issue of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, Anwar said Malaysia takes a consistent and balanced approach, adding that the country has maritime borders with multiple neighbours. "Malaysia is a maritime country. We have border issues with all our neighbours, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam. But we didn't go to war," he said. Anwar stressed that Malaysia supports Asean's collective position in urging China and all involved parties to agree on a Code of Conduct. "For 20 years, this has not happened. But the Chinese responded in Jakarta last year. They said yes, they will look at it. They are supportive," he said, adding that efforts will continue. When asked about the possibility of an actual war between the US and China over Taiwan, Anwar said he is not overly concerned about the risk of military conflict, expressing confidence that both sides would avoid war. "No, I'm not that pessimistic because I think both leaders would want to avoid war. Whatever you may say about President Donald Trump, he represents a position, a president in the US that does not want or encourage wars." Anwar also highlighted China's stance, based on his engagements with President Xi Jinping, saying the Chinese leader has been very firm on the issue of avoiding any sort of violent reaction or offensive against any country. - BERNAMA
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar: Defence deals now strictly G2G to prevent graft
KUALA LUMPUR: The Madani government remains consistent in its efforts to combat corruption, even with the procurement of defence systems now conducted on a Government-to-Government (G2G) basis without the involvement of agents or commissions, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said the government recently held discussions with France and Italy to ensure transparency in defence procurement deals. "This is unheard of, because procurement of weapons has historically been one of the most corrupt areas, where people steal money. "So, what is our basic principle? Go directly government to government, and avoid this manner of taking or squandering money through so-called commissions," he said in an interview on France 24, published on the network's online platform today. Speaking in the 'Tête-à-tête' programme hosted by Marc Perelman, Anwar was asked about allegations that he was pursuing a political vendetta against former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his family via investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Anwar responded that anti-corruption probes have been conducted transparently involving many leaders, including those aligned with the government coalition and Sabah state assemblymen, among others. "It's not about whether someone is a former finance minister or prime minister, it doesn't matter. The question is how did you get these billions? The children themselves have declared under oath that they have more than a billion…. "...I believe it is my duty to ensure that this kind of corruption stops. Secondly, any funds stolen from the people must be returned, we want to improve our schools, we want to help the poor," he said. Anwar, who is now attending the BRICS Leaders' Summit in Rio de Janeiro, had previously embarked on his working visits to Rome, Italy, and Paris, France, since July 1, before arriving in the Brazilian city on Saturday. - BERNAMA
