Anwar slams unilateral decisions by some countries as sheer display of power and arrogance, ignoring interests of small nations
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today slammed unilateral decisions taken by some countries, as it is a sheer display of power and arrogance and does not take into account the interests, especially of small countries.
'We need to showcase that every community, every country, whether small, rich or poor, must be given due respect and recognition,' said Anwar during a public lecture entitled 'Bridging Worlds In A Fractured Age' at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, was bestowed an honorary doctorate from MGIMO.
'When we talk about bilateral relations, it is not just about politics and diplomacy but also includes trade, investments and industrial cooperation.
'Countries have to ensure their economic fundamentals are strong, but human values cannot be ignored,' the prime minister said.
He also expressed his gratitude to Russian President Vladimir Putin and its people for the honour bestowed on Malaysia and the warm reception accorded to the Malaysian delegation visiting Russia.
Despite both countries having different backgrounds, cultures and civilisations, he said he had a great meeting with Putin.
'We are here on his invitation, just as my colleagues and I had exchanges with a very important international leader who treated a relatively smaller country with respect and recognition,' said Anwar.
Similarly, he said that, despite comprising 10 different countries in ASEAN, 'we accord a sense of respect, of equality, and this is what needs to be promoted in the world.'
'We thank the people of Russia for that sense of recognition and respect, and believe that we have to work together (despite) our different cultures and religions, and we can be called great friends,' he said.
Anwar said bilateral relations also included the exchange of youths and students, as well as researchers, between Malaysia and Russia.
He said there are now close to 400 Russian students in Malaysia, while in turn, there were about 700 Malaysian students in Russia.
He commended MGIMO for offering Bahasa Malaysia as a subject in the university, adding that the Russian language is also offered at Universiti Malaya.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Govt to set up special task force to address financial irregularities
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the decision to set up the task force was made during the special Cabinet committee on national governance meeting today. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : The government will be establishing a special task force to address financial irregularities, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced today. Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the decision to set up the task force was made during the special Cabinet committee on national governance meeting today. 'As part of efforts to strengthen the role of the national audit department through amendments to the Audit Act 1957, the meeting agreed to establish a task force to address serious irregularities,' he said in a Facebook post. During the meeting, he stressed the importance of addressing audit findings related to financial irregularities that could undermine the country's fiscal management. He said the new task force will ensure that follow-up actions are more holistic, targeted and have high impact, in keeping with the principles of accountability, transparency and integrity. Last month, Auditor-General Wan Suraya Wan Radzi said the amended Audit Act, which came into force last year, empowers the department to conduct audits on 1,856 GLCs. She was quoted as saying the amendment expands the department's scope, thereby strengthening the government's oversight of governance and financial management within GLCs. The changes include the expansion of the auditor-general's powers to include audits of entities receiving government financial guarantees, by introducing the 'follow the public money' audit approach. Wan Suraya said, moving forward, all GLCs would be held accountable for any irregularities identified in the auditor-general's report. She highlighted that the committee responsible for following up on actions taken based on the auditor-general's report had uncovered several instances of leakages in state and federal financial statements, which are now in the process of being recovered. She added that beyond the recovery of public funds, the audit process aims to determine whether serious irregularities, governance lapses or systemic failures have occurred.
Malaysia Sun
an hour ago
- Malaysia Sun
"Extremely productive visit": Indian envoy BN Reddy on India's diplomatic outraech to Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], June 3 (ANI): An Indian all-party parliamentary delegation, led by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha, successfully concluded a productive visit to Malaysia, engaging in a series of high-level meetings with political leaders, influential think tanks, and members of the Indian community. India's High Commissioner to Malaysia, BN Reddy, said the delegation met with several Malaysian stakeholders, including the Speaker of Parliament and the Special Parliamentary Committee on International Relations and International Trade, led by YB Wong Chen. The delegation also held discussions with key political parties such as the People's Justice Party (PKR), headed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the Democratic Action Party, and the Malaysian Indian Congress, both part of the ruling coalition. The visit also included interactions with leading Malaysian think tanks such as the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and the Asia Institute, along with representatives from the local media. Reddy emphasised the importance of the delegation's engagement with the Indian community in Malaysia, which is home to the world's second-largest Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) population and nearly 300,000 Indian passport holders. Summing up the visit, Reddy said, 'It has been an extremely productive visit from the perspective of conveying the key message of new India. It's about India's policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, and that message has resonated well.' He noted that the delegation effectively highlighted the impact of cross-border terrorism on India's security. 'This will have a positive impact on how we go forward in taking this message further,' he added. 'The groundwork laid by our all-party parliamentary delegation will help enhance future engagement with Malaysian stakeholders,' Reddy said. The Indian delegation includes BJP MPs Aparajita Sarangi, Brij Lal, Pradan Baruah, Hemang Joshi; TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee; CPI-M's John Brittas; and Congress leader Salman Khurshid, among others. Their visit is part of a multi-nation tour to brief international partners on India's counter-terrorism efforts and promote regional cooperation. The delegation's tour includes stops in Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore, underscoring India's commitment to regional peace, security, and development. (ANI)
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Russia supplies 32 pct of global diamond in 2024
MOSCOW, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Russia exported 30.37 million carats of diamonds in 2024, a 6.3 percent decline in comparison to the previous year, according to the data released by the Kimberley Process, an international diamond certification scheme. Revenues from diamond exports fell by 29 percent in 2024 to 2.62 billion U.S. dollars from 3.68 billion dollars in 2023, according to the statistics. Russia produced 37.32 million carats of diamonds in 2024, maintaining the same output as in the previous year. Russia accounted for 32 percent of global diamond supply last year, while Botswana accounted for 24 percent, Angola 12 percent, and Canada 11 percent. Among the largest exporters of diamonds were the United Arab Emirates with a 30 percent share in global supplies, the European Union with 14 percent, and Russia with 11 percent. India was the largest importer of diamonds in 2024, according to TASS. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Alexey Kalachev, an analyst at Russian financial services company Finam, noted that Western sanctions have had little impact on Russian diamond exports last year, and attributed the decline to a crisis in the global diamond market. He believes that if the sanctions had worked, diamond prices would have increased due to global shortages. He said that the 29 percent drop in export revenues was in part due to a decline in shipments and lower global prices. The Kimberley Process was established in 2000 in South Africa. Its participants are countries producing and importing diamonds, which set the goal of removing "conflict" diamonds used for arms and support of anti-government and terrorist organizations from being traded internationally and ensure transparency in the global diamond market. The Kimberley Process ensures control over export-import operations, covering up to 99 percent of global turnover of diamonds.
