KUALA LUMPUR: At the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia today (May 10), Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held discussions with four ASEAN leaders on bilateral ties and cooperation.
In a statement on his Facebook page, Anwar said he paid a courtesy call on the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Pengiran Muda 'Abdul Mateen Bolkiah to express his wish to see Bandar Seri Begawan's involvement in the Annual Leaders' Consultation (ALC) this year where Putrajaya is the host.
"Apart from that, the discussion also focused on investment, landmarking, cooperation in culture and education for the benefit of both countries," he said.
Anwar also held a meeting with Vietnam's Prime Minister, Pham Minh Chinh, and expressed Malaysia's willingness to receive their delegation to Putrajaya in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The discussion also touched on the aspect of investments apart from discussing the issue of Vietnamese fishermen's encroaching into Malaysian waters.
"In this summit, I had a bilateral meeting with my counterpart from Laos, Sonexay Siphandone, where we agreed to cooperate more in the fields of banking, training programmes for officers and diplomats, besides education and the agricultural industries.
"After that, I also held a bilateral meeting with my counterpart from Timor Leste, Taur Matan Ruak, where I reiterated my full support regarding the republic's application to join the ASEAN family," he said.
Anwar said the discussion with Timor Leste's premier also touched on the need to increase opportunities for cooperation in investment, trade, agriculture and food manufacturing which demand togetherness and continued commitment from both countries.
The Prime Minister and other ASEAN leaders are attending the two-day summit starting today (May 10), to discuss several issues of common interest to the regional grouping.
A total of eight heads of government from 10 ASEAN member countries are participating in the summit except for Myanmar, which was not invited, and Thailand, which is facing a General Election this coming Sunday (May 14). – BERNAMA