KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Dec (Bernama) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has expressed solidarity with Malaysia as floods ravage several states causing casualties, displacing thousands, and resulting in significant property damage.
“I would like to express my deep condolences to the government and the people of Malaysia on the flood victims," said UAE Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Mubarak Saeed AlDhaheri at the 53rd Anniversary celebration of the Emirates National Day here on Monday.
“The UAE stands in solidarity with Malaysia in facing the ongoing flood situation and is ready to extend humanitarian assistance to the affected families to cope with this catastrophe,” he said.
As of Tuesday morning, seven fatalities have been reported in Malaysia, with nearly 100,000 victims evacuated due to floods.
The event was attended by prominent figures including Malaysia's Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz as the guest of honour, Speaker of the Malaysian House of Representatives Tan Sri Johari Abdul, foreign diplomats and government officials.
Touching on Malaysia and UAE bilateral relations, AlDhaheri expressed optimism for a more fruitful cooperation between the two nations, namely in trade, artificial intelligence and technical education.
The UAE is Malaysia's second largest trading partner in West Asia and the Middle East, with the volume of trade exchange between the two countries for non-oil trade in 2023 exceeding US$4.9 billion.
"In the field of artificial intelligence, the UAE is considered as one of the leading countries in attracting global talents and partnerships. In this regard, we look forward to collaborating with Malaysia," he said.
He cited the recent collaboration between Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah and the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence – the first university of its kind specialising in artificial intelligence – as an example of partnership.
-- BERNAMA
