By Rohani Mohd Ibrahim
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Uzbekistan are in the process of coordinating a memorandum of understanding (MoU) resulting from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's visit to the country in May, said the Malaysian ambassador to Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Ilham Tuah Illias.
He said among the matters listed in the MoU were the Islamic financial system, halal ecosystem industry, and trade.
"Through the MoU, it is hoped that more Malaysian goods and services can be brought into Uzbekistan.
“In terms of expertise, Uzbekistan is interested in learning from Malaysia the skills to produce various patterns of gold products for personal adornment," he said when contacted by Bernama recently.
According to Ilham Tuah, Anwar's three-day official visit to Uzbekistan had opened up many areas for cooperation, especially the economy, education, tourism and culture.
Anwar's visit in May was followed by an official visit by Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov to Malaysia in July, he said.
On palm oil exports to Uzbekistan, he intended to ensure that the product would be given tax breaks in the future.
According to Ilham Tuah, the industrial sector in Uzbekistan, which is growing rapidly after 31 years of independence from the Soviet Socialist Republic, can use Malaysian palm oil to produce various products such as food and cosmetics.
He said the future of Central Asia countries was bright and Malaysia should seize the opportunity to explore various cooperation opportunities with the region.
On the bilateral relations between Malaysia and Uzbekistan, Ilham Tuah said they were at their best and that development could be seen through the Malaysian delegation that was invited to be an international observer for the Uzbekistan elections on Oct 27.
Malaysia as the chairman of ASEAN in 2025 would also catalyse the cooperation between Central Asia and Southeast Asia, he said.
Previous reports stated that Uzbekistan was Malaysia's second largest trading partner among Central Asian countries in 2023, with total Malaysia-Uzbekistan trade reaching RM451.1 million (US$100 million).
On people-to-people relations, Ilham Tuah said there were currently 200 Uzbek students in Malaysia and 2,000 Uzbeks visited Malaysia in 2023.
Meanwhile, a source from the Uzbekistan embassy in Malaysia said from January to October 2024, the number of Uzbeks visiting Malaysia had increased to 13,000.
Most of them visited the islands in Malaysia, especially Langkawi, since Uzbekistan has no coastline, the source said.
Malaysians' interest in visiting Uzbekistan was also increasing, especially in destinations related to Islamic history such as the tombs of Imam Bukhari in Samarkand and Imam Tarmizi near the Uzbekistan-Afghanistan border, he said.
-- BERNAMA
