KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia will contact neighbouring nations before making a final decision whether to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) conference in San Francisco, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“We are examining (the matter). Apec is an Asian-Pacific economic body, so we will contact other Asean nations and China on their stance.
“We will make a decision that is in line with the stance of our friends,” he said during the prime minister’s question time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a supplementary question by Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN), who asked whether the government would consider boycotting the Apec meeting as a show of solidarity with Palestine.
The conference this year is scheduled to be held from November 11 to 17, and will be hosted in San Francisco.
Besides China and Asean nations, Apec members include Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Chinese Taipei, and the US.
Anwar also mentioned in the lower house that Malaysia has received several demarches from the US, urging the nation to withdraw its stance in the Palestine-Israel war.
On October 18, the US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that would have called for humanitarian pauses to deliver lifesaving aid to millions in Gaza.
Previously, Anwar had a four-day visit to the US in September to participate in the 78th UN General Assembly in New York. – October 31, 2023