KAZAN (Tatarstan), May 17 — The strong bilateral ties between Malaysia and the Russian Federation have been further reinforced through Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official visit, which ended yesterday.
Anwar said at the final media conference of his visit that the close ties between the two countries would be translated into more conducive trade relations, including the exploration of new sectors.
Malaysia, he added, is set to benefit from the high tourism potential from Russia through the Russian airline Aeroflot, which is expected to resume flights to Malaysia soon.
"During my meeting with (Russian) President Vladimir Putin, he openly stated an interest in further expanding the halal network as well as Islamic banking and finance,” he told the Malaysian media covering the official visit, which began on Tuesday.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, led a delegation that included Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Chang Li Kang, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir and Plantation and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.
Anwar said that throughout the visit, he and his delegation met with 24 companies in Russia that expressed interest in expanding their businesses in Malaysia and also held two business events with companies wanting to learn more about trade aspects in the country.
"I also held a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to discuss bilateral issues, including agro-commodities, agriculture, cocoa, oil palm and issues that hinder close cooperation. All of these will be resolved efficiently.
"But certainly our focus is on palm oil and palm-based products. We also emphasised the chemical industry, furniture, retail and infrastructure development, including digital and AI,” he said.
Anwar said during his visit to the Republic of Tatarstan, he was deeply impressed by the country's environment, which upholds Islamic values while maintaining strong relations with the Orthodox Church.
Regarding the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine in 2014, Anwar said he had the opportunity to raise the issue of the results of the findings released by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) during his meeting with Putin.
"I happened to be among the first heads of government to meet with President Putin immediately after the report was released.
"But President Putin's answer was clear, that firstly, he (Putin) expressed regret over the tragedy and extended condolences to all affected families, and secondly, he remains open to any further investigation if needed and that Russia will cooperate," he said.
Recently, the ICAO concluded that Russia was responsible for the 2014 downing of flight MH17, which killed all 298 people on board, including 196 Dutch citizens, 43 Malaysians, and 38 Australians.
The decision was announced in separate statements by the Dutch and Australian governments on May 12, which described it as an important step towards justice and accountability for the victims and their families.
— Bernama
