M'SIA, NEW ZEALAND EXPRESS COMMITMENT TO INCREASE COLLABORATION IN VARIOUS FIELDS

PUTRAJAYA, June 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and New Zealand expressed commitment to strengthening and further expanding bilateral cooperation, especially in the energy transition, trade and investment, education and defence sectors.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this was expressed when he received a courtesy call from New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters at Perdana Putra, which houses the Prime Minister's Office, today.

"We also exchanged views regarding regional and international issues of mutual interest, including Malaysia's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025,” Anwar said in a statement today.

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Anwar, also the Finance Minister, said he also welcomed the official visit by New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Malaysia in early September.

"Hopefully, the relationship between Malaysia and New Zealand will continue to be strengthened and intensified for the benefit of both countries,” said Anwar.

Also present at the approximately 45-minute meeting was Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

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Peters is currently on a four-day working visit to Malaysia, which is his second stop on his Southeast Asian tour after Vietnam. This working visit demonstrates New Zealand’s policy of prioritising cooperation with a dynamically developing region.

Malaysia and New Zealand established diplomatic relations on Sept 25, 1957, and the ties have remained strong and stable.

Malaysia consistently welcomes an increasing number of tourists from New Zealand each year, with 18,238 New Zealanders visiting Malaysia in 2022. Additionally, over 17,000 Malaysians reside in New Zealand.

In the Pacific region, Malaysia is New Zealand's second-largest trading partner, with the total trade volume between the two countries reaching RM6.32 billion (US$1.42 billion) as of June 2023.

-- BERNAMA