Ukraine Seeks Malaysia As ASEAN Gateway For UAV Partnerships

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 (Bernama) -- Ukraine views Malaysia as a key entry point for expanding collaborations in the ASEAN region's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and drone sectors, said Ukraine’s deputy economy minister, Taras Kachka.

Noting Malaysia’s strong digital economy, Kachka also said that the country is the most advanced in ASEAN regarding infrastructure, semiconductor spare parts supply and skilled manpower.

Kachka remarked that discussions on potential collaborations are ongoing between companies from both nations.

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"The advancement of UAV in Ukraine is naturally connected to the defence and security, but (the UAV usage) was (also) strong for civil purposes such as agriculture.

"Now, the usage of UAVs in Ukraine is so high that it grabs all the engineers' resources... that is why the knowledge developed in Ukraine is used in Malaysia.

“That is why we are going to support the cooperation in this area since we need strong supply chains of spare parts, we also can indicate in terms of engineers' development, that might be useful for modernised the products," he told a press conference here today.

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Meanwhile, the Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Ukraine in Malaysia, Denys Mykhailiuk, said that Malaysian companies have shown strong interest in UAV technology, particularly for border surveillance in dense jungle areas, which are challenging to patrol with manpower alone.

"We are not talking about the striking drones, which are more towards the military, but more to surveillance ones.

"We are very much advanced here, and to my knowledge, there are talks between companies," he said.

Kachka, on a working visit to Malaysia from Oct 31 to Nov 2, 2024, co-chaired the inaugural Malaysia-Ukraine Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting with Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong to discuss key sectors, including agriculture, aerospace, sustainable palm oil, medical devices and tourism.

The meeting established a strong foundation for expanding economic partnerships amidst geopolitical challenges.

Separately, Mykhailiuk revealed that Ukraine plans to open two additional Halal hubs within the country, supported by Malaysia.

Currently, Ukraine has a Halal hub certified by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).

He noted that discussions have taken place with Malaysia, reaching an understanding that Halal certification in Ukraine would be recognised by Malaysian authorities.

"Ukraine exports the products to the traditional markets such as North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which demands Halal certification.

"This is very vital because every Ukrainian product which will be certified with JAKIM'S Halal will have Malaysian certification so it is direct marketing for Malaysia," he said.

-- BERNAMA