DATUK Seri Anwar Ibrahim's fourth visit to Saudi Arabia marked his close relationship with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, who personally invited him there.
At the same time, his three-day working visit also underscores the priority placed on Saudi Arabia, specifically, and the Middle East in general, in Malaysia's foreign policy, thereby recognising Anwar's strategic position as one of the main voices of developing countries.
Anwar's main agenda in Saudi Arabia was attending the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Special Meeting themed "Global Cooperation, Growth, and Energy for Development" in Riyadh, where he was invited to deliver a speech at the opening plenary session.
Once again, Anwar did not disappoint but instead made Malaysians proud through his strong voice at the opening plenary session of the WEF Special Meeting themed "A New Vision for Global Development," which garnered extensive coverage from international media.
While previously Anwar made a name for himself and gained attention for his criticism of Western countries for their hypocrisy in handling the Palestinian issue, his speech at the WEF Special Meeting drew attention for its critique of major powers.
Anwar asserted that major economic powers cannot dictate other countries, including Malaysia, at their own will. They must abide by the rules of the country and not impose any conditions or demands that diminish the country's economic direction and policies.
In front of world leaders and business figures, Anwar emphasised that while Malaysia welcomes investments, it will not compromise on its principles and firm stance on global geopolitical issues, nor will it succumb to provocations, conditions or pressures.
It was also stated that Malaysia adopts a "very firm" foreign policy, which has allowed it to maintain strong bilateral relations with Western superpowers such as the United States and Europe, but also with countries like China.
Anwar explained that Malaysia's economic prospects will not be affected by the trade war between the US and China because Malaysia's approach is balanced and not involved in engaging in provocations against any party.
The theme of not succumbing to the directives of major economic powers is an important one in today's global struggle. In his speech to students and scholars at Tsinghua University, Beijing, on March 31, 2023, Anwar had already begun to address this theme.
Anwar reiterated in that speech: "The era of colonisation and new imperialism has passed. No country can dictate to us. As a free and independent country, we will decide what is best for us based on our own values and principles."
This theme was also emphasised by Anwar in a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a staunch US ally, in Melbourne on March 4 during the Asean Summit.
Anwar said: "We are an independent country, we do not want to be dictated by any party. If any country has issues with China, they should not force other countries that do not have issues with China to follow them."
Earlier, in an interview with the Financial Times on Feb 25, Anwar criticised the increasing wave of "China phobia" in the West. At the same time, he denied claims by US Vice-President Kamala Harris that Malaysia was leaning towards Beijing.
International forums like the WEF Special Meeting are important because they allow Anwar to assert the country's position on regional geopolitical issues in front of world leaders, especially as Anwar's voice is increasingly seen as representing the voices of other countries.
In addition to attending the WEF Special Meeting, Anwar also led the Malaysian delegation in the "Joint Regional Strategy Dialogue on Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)" where he highlighted some of Asean's priorities as Malaysia assumes its chairmanship next year.
Here, Anwar once again emphasised the importance of GCC cooperation to facilitate and streamline efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as to seek a comprehensive solution to the worsening Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The available space was also used by Anwar to exchange views with leaders of several other countries such as the President of Rwanda, Prime Minister of Jordan, Prime Minister of Pakistan, Prime Minister of Qatar, Foreign Minister of Turkiye and Finance Minister of Indonesia.
Not to be missed in this visit, Anwar along with other Malaysian delegates also held several important meetings with global leaders and corporate heads in a mission to explore various economic opportunities and attract new investments.
Through the National Strategy Dialogue programme, where Anwar interacted with over 50 leaders from various industries and sectors from around the world in roundtable meetings, Malaysia was able to introduce its priorities and strategic initiatives.
Among the industry and business leaders participating in this dialogue were giants such as Samsung, Chevron, BrainBox AI, Cisco Systems, OmniBot.ai, TotalEnergies, Lulu Group International, Deutsche Bank and the Saudi Industrial Development Fund.
With Anwar's convincing explanation of Malaysia's progress and the extensive trade and investment opportunities here, many industry and business leaders in attendance expressed interest in investing in Malaysia in various fields.
Furthermore, Anwar also met with the President and CEO of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Dr Muhammad Al Jasser, the Chairman and CEO of French energy company TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanne, and the Chairman of ACWA Power, Mohammad A. Abunayyan.
All of this is evidence that Anwar is Malaysia's top salesman, and with his increasingly strong voice in international forums, he is now being increasingly recognised as one of the top spokesmen for Third World Countries.
* The writer is a Principal Research Fellow, Institute of Islamic Hadhari, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia