ASEAN, SCO Should Pool Resources Against Cross-border Crime, Energy Security - PM Anwar

From Nurul Hanis Izmir

KAZAN, June 18 (Bernama) — ASEAN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) should pool their resources on combating transnational crime and strengthen energy cooperation as both require collective actions for it to be effectively addressed, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.

This, he said, can be done as both the 11-member bloc and SCO already have a firm foundation in the 2005 memorandum of understanding (MoU) to undertake cooperation in, among others, counter-terrorism, drugs and narcotic control, money laundering, as well as economic and financial cooperation and energy cooperation, especially hydroelectric power and bio-fuels.

‘We should build on it by focusing our attention and resources on a few areas where measurable progress can be made within a defined timeframe,” he said during the ASEAN-Russia working lunch here today.

“Online scams, illicit financial activities and human trafficking now often cross our borders faster than we can effectively act on them. We would tremendously gain from sharing intelligence and building each other’s capacity to respond,” he said.

As for energy, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, said the SCO brings together major producers and real expertise in energy technology. 

“That opens the way for practical work on energy security and the transition to cleaner sources. Malaysia also encourages practical and technology-driven energy cooperation.

“This includes energy efficiency, grid reliability, LNG and gas, renewables integration, and knowledge-sharing on safety and resilience,” he said.

The SCO, established in 2001, is a political, economic and security organisation. It currently comprises ten member states (Belarus, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) and two observer states (Afghanistan and Mongolia).

The Prime Minister said the same can be applied to the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), where ASEAN and the union already have the necessary frameworks. 

“We should now use them to strengthen business confidence and commercial cooperation. Three priorities stand out,” he said.

First, the private sectors should meet more regularly, he said.

“They should be encouraged to take part in each other’s trade and investment events, including ASEAN-EAEU Business Dialogues on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum and the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.”

“Second, our smaller firms need help to compete in both regions. That means market access, the requisite technology and the skills to use them.”

Third, there are newer areas where both ASEAN and EAEU’s interests are beginning to overlap, namely the digital economy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and food security, which should be pursued together, said Anwar.

The Prime Minister is in Kazan, the capital and largest city of Tatarstan, Russia, for a two-day working visit to attend the ASEAN-Russia Commemorative Summit, which ends today.

— BERNAMA