PM Anwar's Russia trip seen as gateway to Central Asian halal market

New Straits Times

23-05-2025

KUALA LUMPUR: 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.
"We (Malaysia) are a small and trade-dependent country, so it's essential to have many friends (trading partners), and that is something anyone can acknowledge.
"In the Asean context, the Prime Minister is one of the most senior leaders in the region and has been well known for decades, so his networking is extensive. This makes Asean under his leadership more appealing, especially given its large market of nearly 700 million people," he said.
Norazlan expressed hope that through Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship, regional unity and economic cooperation can be enhanced, noting that intra-Asean trade remains low at around 20 per cent, compared to trade with major powers like the US, which can reach up to 60 per cent.
Hence, he said, this summit could be a catalyst for such efforts, as key Asean economies like Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Singapore share a common vision of strengthening the bloc.
Touching on the increasingly prominent issue of Myanmar, Norazlan said Malaysia has adopted a prudent approach, with the Prime Minister having met several times with stakeholders from that country in Thailand.
"Perhaps those meetings were too sensitive, and we don't know what was discussed, but at the very least, they took place. Were they productive?
"For me, we shouldn't view this through the wrong narrative of ideology. Right now, economic considerations are more important than ideology, and I believe Myanmar too will shift away from ideological focus and prioritise economic interests to resolve the issue," he said.