Malaysia`s Foreign Policy Continue To Be Well Respected

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - In the context of Malaysia`s foreign policy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak`s first 100 days in office reflected Kuala Lumpur`s continuation -- of a vibrant, dynamic and progressive foreign policy, which is well respected by the international community.

This was also within the context of Malaysia`s long-standing foreign policy, based on non-interference into the affairs of other countries and mutual respect and at the same time protecting the geo-political interests of the country.

His visit to several countries during this 100 days as well as his discussions with foreign leaders, including with United States President Barack Obama, and the statements he made after all these discussions, showed one thing – Malaysia`s desire to continue to strengthen bilateral ties while exploring new avenues of cooperation and also Kuala Lumpur`s firm stance on important global issues.

Najib`s “unexpected ending” of his first overseas trip, after becoming prime minister on April 3, to the 14th Asean Summit in Pattaya, Thailand, following the cancellation of the summit due to anti-government protests, did not deter him from continuing to build strong bilateral relations with Asean countries.

His visits to several of the Asean countries reflected the greater importance Malaysia always attached to its neighbouring countries as well as other Asean countries and the region as a whole.

His trip to Indonesia on April 22-23, where Jakarta upgraded the working visit into an official visit, ended on a high note, with commitment from Indonesia to further strengthen bilateral ties, increase cooperation in new areas and resolve any problem through negotiations.

And in his meeting with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, both leaders agreed to explore two new areas of cooperation namely in the defence and energy sectors.

At the end of April, Najib held discussions with the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah in Bandar Seri Begawan, on various matters including the land and maritime boundary between Malaysia and Brunei, where Najib expressed confidence that the two countries could finalise the land and maritime border demarcation, although he did not give a specific time frame.

Najib`s visit to neighbouring Singapore on May 21-22, was another step in further boosting Malaysia-Singapore relations, which had seen some problems in the past. He and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong had said that the old legacy of problems they inherited in the last 18 years could be resolved as soon as possible.

“We don`t have to wait for another 18 years to solve these problems,” Najib said referring to the Points of Agreement that deals with the issue of the future of railway land owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu in Singapore.

Besides that, the republic`s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew toured the country for eight days during which he also met Najib.

On June 8, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva visited Malaysia where both leaders discussed various issues, especially those related to trade, investments and the southern conflict and this meeting helped both countries and the leaders to further solidify Malaysia-Thai traditional relations.

Najib also led a Malaysian delegation to the Asean-Republic of Korea (ROK) Commemorative Summit in Jeju Island on June 1 and 2 where he, along with other leaders, signed the Joint Statement of the Asean-ROK Commemorative Summit.

Malaysia`s stand as expressed by Najib on North Korea`s nuclear weapons programme, that the region should be free from nuclear weapons, gained appreciation from South Korea`s President Lee Myung-bak for making its firm stance known.

And his four-day official visit to China in early June which Najib described as “most fruitful”, the Prime Minister had pledged that as the son of Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who established diplomatic relations with China 35 years ago, he was determined to take Kuala Lumpur-Beijing relations to greater heights.

China also broke from tradition as it accorded special treatment to Najib by allowing speeches to be made after a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People as normally no speeches are made after the signing of MoUs between two countries, but China decided to show its appreciation for Najib and his father, Abdul Razak, for establishing diplomatic relations with China and subsequently strengthening them.

On July 6, Najib received a visit from his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd, where the latter congratulated Najib over his recent economic programmes and both leaders discussed issues such as combating human trafficking, trade, green technologies and education.

The highlight of Malaysia`s foreign policy during Najib`s first 100 days as seen by many was his discussion with President Obama where the two leaders discussed bilateral and international issues of mutual concern, including three major issues for the US -- North Korea, Afghanistan and Iran.

During the telephone call made by Obama on June 26, the US leader had sought Malaysia`s help towards ensuring a nuclear-free Korean peninsula following nuclear proliferation by North Korea, a pressing issue for his administration and the international community.

Najib also agreed to Obama`s request on the possibility that Malaysia takes part in the provisional reconstruction process of Afghanistan.

While expressing the hope that Iran would not embark on a nuclear weapons programme, Obama had also asked Malaysia to play a role in helping to open dialogue and engagement on a wider scale between Washington and Iran as Kuala Lumpur and Teheran had been having good ties for a long time.

During his first 100 days in office, the Prime Minister, in fact, had set the future direction and the vision of Malaysia`s foreign policy under his administration.

Source: http://www.bernama.com (11 July 2009)
Photo: http://dinmerican.wordpress.com

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