NEW YORK, Sept 22 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today met with his counterparts from Thailand and Iraq on the sideline of the 78th United Nations General Assembly here.
It was Anwar’s first official engagement with Srettha Thavisin since the Thai property developer became prime minister last month.
The 30-minute meeting was attended by ministers from both sides.
“Besides discussing ways to strengthen our bilateral ties, we also spoke about various issues, including borders, the peace process in Southern Thailand and other regional issues of mutual interest,” said Anwar.
During the meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, the matters discussed included ways to further strengthen bilateral ties and explore new areas of cooperation.
Anwar also told Shia that Malaysia will reopen its embassy in Baghdad, which has been closed for the past 20 years.
Iraq is Malaysia’s sixth largest trading partner and the seventh-largest source of imports among other West Asian countries, with total trade last year valued at RM4.68 billion, an increase of 24.3 per cent compared with RM3.76 billion in 2021.
Anwar also met with United States President Joe Biden’s climate envoy John Kerry, who was US Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017 under the administration of Barack Obama.
Among the topics discussed were the environment, renewable energy and global warming.
“I expressed my desire to continue working with the US on the transition to renewable energy, methane gas emissions reduction, climate finance and technology,” said Anwar, who is also Finance Minister.
Anwar also attended a discussion with Council on Foreign Relations members, a nonpartisan independent think tank that promotes understanding of international relations and foreign policy.
“During the session, I … shared Malaysia’s policies and perspectives on international relations, the global stage, and geopolitics with this think tank,” he said, adding that he appreciated their invitation and hoped such discussion could continue in the future.
— Bernama
