PM Anwar's Russia Trip Seen As Gateway To Central Asian Halal Market
BUSINESS
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (left) with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a joint press conference following the conclusion of the delegation meeting held at the Kremlin, Moscow, on May 14.
By Lucia Terey John
KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's recent official visit to Russia is not only a strategic move to strengthen bilateral relations, but also a 'gateway' for Malaysia to explore the halal industry in the European and Central Asian regions, according to an analyst.
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) senior lecturer Dr Norazlan Hadi Yaacob said the visit also reflected Malaysia's new diplomatic approach in engaging with countries that have significant trade potential and shared cultural values, instead of focusing solely on traditional major powers such as the United States.
'Many people don't realise that great Islamic scholars like Imam Bukhari hail from this region (Central Asia), which shares a similar Islamic intellectual tradition. These were major Islamic empires in the medieval era. So we're leveraging Malaysia's status as a respected Islamic country to reach out to them (Russia).
'I'm confident one of the benefits we will reap is access to the halal industry, which is worth billions of ringgit. So we need to look at it from that perspective, not from an ideological standpoint about who we support,' he said in a special programme aired on Bernama TV last night ahead of the 46th ASEAN Summit.
The 46th ASEAN Summit, themed Inclusivity and Sustainability, begins today with the senior officials' meeting, followed by the ministerial meeting on May 25 and the leaders' summit starting May 26.
Taking into account Malaysia's role as the ASEAN 2025 Chair, Norazlan added that the visit underscores the government's consistent stance on maintaining an independent and non-aligned foreign policy, not tied to any particular power bloc.
At the same time, Malaysia remains proactive in exploring strategic opportunities in the national and regional interests, said the Faculty of Human Sciences lecturer.
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