M'SIAN DEPUTY SENATE PRESIDENT VISITS KAZAKHSTAN TO BOLSTER RELATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, June 15 (Bernama) -- Dewan Negara Deputy President, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed visited Kazakhstan this week to foster inter-parliamentary dialogue, following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's visit to the Central Asian nation last month.

“I have heard many good things about Kazakhstan. I have always planned to visit the country. It is a privilege for me to be here, and Kazakhstan is a beautiful country with great potential,” Nur Jazlan Mohamed told The Astana Times.

Anwar's visit in May included meetings with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the signing of agreements worth over US$350 million, highlighting the growing ties between the two nations.

bootstrap slideshow

During his visit to Astana, Nur Jazlan met with Chairman of the Senate, Maulen Ashimbayev and Chairman of the Mazhilis, Yerlan Koshanov to discuss enhancing inter-parliamentary relations.

“We hope to develop a framework of cooperation to help the executives of both countries, especially in terms of the economy, trade, investment, student exchanges, and tourism,” he said.

One of his key objectives was to formalise the formation of a Friendship Group within the Senate to ensure regular communication and cooperation between the parliaments.

bootstrap slideshow

“We can serve as a bridge between the two parliaments and act as a back channel if needed,” he added.

Nur Jazlan emphasised the importance of sharing best practices in elections, parliamentary procedures, and the management of parliamentary affairs to enhance inter-parliamentary dialogue.

Speaking on tourism, he noted the launch of direct flights from Almaty to Kuala Lumpur by AirAsia, bringing the two countries closer.

“Winter in Kazakhstan is long and harsh, while Malaysia offers a vibrant tourism industry. We hope to attract more Kazakh tourists to Malaysia,” he said.

He highlighted the potential for mutual benefits from increased tourist flow, with Kazakhstan being one of Malaysia’s emerging tourism source markets, contributing to 8,298 tourist arrivals in 2023.

Nur Jazlan also sees significant potential for cooperation in technical and technology-related businesses, with Malaysia investing heavily in cloud computing and data centres.

Another focus is boosting educational exchange programmes, with over 200 Kazakh students currently studying in Malaysia. He suggested increasing scholarships and vocational training cooperation.

“Skills are a lifetime asset. We have good skills training programmes that could benefit Kazakhstan’s young population,” he said.

He also mentioned opportunities for collaboration in disaster management, describing it as an “intangible investment”.

“We have developed a good system for managing floods due to our climate change issues. Sharing this could minimise the impact of disasters in Kazakhstan,” he said.

The senator also suggested sharing Malaysia's de-radicalisation programme to combat extremist ideologies with Kazakhstan.

Reflecting on the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Central Asian tour, he highlighted its objective to “reenergise” relations based on shared cultural and Islamic links.

“Central Asia is the next growth region of the world. Resolving energy and water issues will help the region thrive,” Nur Jazlan said, expressing Malaysia’s keen interest in being part of Central Asia’s growth.

-- BERNAMA