Malaysia and Uzbekistan want to speed up cooperation in various fields

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Uzbekistan agree to speed up cooperation between the two countries in various fields such as trade and investment, energy, tourism and education, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Bernama reported, he informed, it was among the things mentioned in a phone call from the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, to him, this afternoon.

“Apart from saying hello, we had time to discuss and evaluate the progress of various matters agreed upon during my visit to Uzbekistan with the Malaysian delegation last May.

“We are also in agreement to speed up matters related to Malaysia-Uzbekistan cooperation in various fields such as trade and investment, energy, tourism and education,” he said in a message via his Facebook, today.

In addition, Anwar also repeated the invitation to Shavkat to visit Malaysia as soon as possible, to further strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries.

Regarding the proposed organization of the Imam Bukhari Conference by the Uzbek Government earlier, Anwar also expressed Malaysia’s commitment to work together to make this noble endeavor a success.

The Prime Minister also expressed Malaysia’s appreciation for Uzbekistan’s continued support in the conflict and struggle to demand justice for the Palestinian people, in addition to humanitarian and geopolitical issues in Afghanistan.

Last May, Anwar made a three-day official visit to Uzbekistan at Shavkat’s invitation. Malaysia and Uzbekistan have enjoyed close relations since 1992.

In 2023, the total Malaysia-Uzbekistan trade will be RM451.1 million (US$94.03 million), with exports to Uzbekistan reaching RM449 million (US$93.6 million) and imports RM1.99 million (US$414,518).