Malaysia, New Zealand Urge Full Implementation Of ASEAN's Five-point Consensus On Myanmar

By Nurul Hanis Izmir

PUTRAJAYA, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and New Zealand reaffirmed their commitment to the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, urging the State Administrative Council to honour its commitments to ASEAN leaders and fully implement the consensus to resolve the political crisis.

In a joint statement today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his New Zealand counterpart Prime Minister Christopher Luxon urged for an immediate cessation of violence, the release of those arbitrarily detained, unrestricted humanitarian access, and meaningful dialogue for a peaceful resolution in Myanmar.

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Malaysia expressed gratitude to New Zealand for its ongoing support in resettling refugees in third countries under the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) framework and emphasised the importance of continued collaboration on refugee resettlement.

Luxon, who is on his first official visit to Malaysia from Sept 1 to 3, also met with Anwar for a bilateral meeting earlier, where both leaders reiterated their commitment to deepening the Malaysia-New Zealand Strategic Partnership, signed in 2023.

The partnership is focused on cooperation across four pillars: prosperity, people, planet, and peace and security. The two leaders announced their mutual intent to enhance bilateral relations in ways that deliver tangible benefits and advance shared economic and security interests.

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Meanwhile, as Malaysia prepares for its ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, both countries look forward to commemorating the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations.

Anwar welcomed New Zealand’s proposal to co-chair an ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit in Kuala Lumpur, and both sides expressed their desire to elevate ASEAN-New Zealand relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by 2025.

On climate change and disaster management, Anwar and Luxon affirmed their support for the outcomes of the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) and called on all parties to align their Nationally Determined Contributions with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

They also acknowledged each country’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions and agreed to explore further cooperation in sustainable finance, carbon markets, and agriculture.

Luxon’s visit marks his first trip to Malaysia since taking office in November 2023, reflecting the strong and growing ties between the two nations.

-- BERNAMA