SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 18 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau discussed ways to strengthen bilateral trade and investment between both countries on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders Meeting.
The meeting today was upon Canada’s request.
Besides trade and investment, the discussions also centred around cooperation in cybersecurity, education, trade, energy, and climate change.
The total trade between Malaysia and Canada in 2022 was RM10.35 billion, an increase of 4.2 per cent, from RM9.93 billion recorded in 2021.
In 2023, Putrajaya and Ottawa celebrate 66 years of official diplomatic relations.
Anwar said both of them exchanged views on the issue of Palestine.
The Canadian Prime Minister highlighted the need to protect civilians on both sides and to address the humanitarian crisis.
Trudeau upheld the two-state solution and called for an independent Palestine but reiterated support for the need for Israel to protect itself and ensure its security.
Anwar stressed the need to address the root cause of the conflict and end the Israeli occupation and also highlighted that Israel has committed various atrocities against Palestinians in the past decades with impunity and continues to build and expand illegal settlements.
Both leaders agreed the current conflict should serve as a wake-up call for the international community on the need to end Israeli occupation based on the two-state solution.
On another development, Trudeau pledged to do more to assist Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.
Malaysia also took the opportunity to raise the visa issue with Canada, whereby Malaysian tourists are required to obtain Canadian visas with a waiting period between four and six months, while Malaysia accords Canadian tourists visa-on-arrival.
Anwar reiterated his request that a reciprocal arrangement be accorded to Malaysia, similar to the visa-on-arrival facility accorded by Canada to Malaysia’s neighbouring countries in the region.
In response, Trudeau promised that he would rectify the situation as soon as possible.
— Bernama
