SAN FRANCISCO – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau discussed ways to strengthen bilateral trade and investment between both countries on the sidelines of the Apec Economic Leaders Meeting here.
The meeting today was at Canada’s request.
Besides trade and investment, the discussions also centred around cooperation in cybersecurity, education, trade, energy, and climate change, said Anwar, who is also the finance minister.
The total trade between Malaysia and Canada in 2022 was RM10.35 billion, an increase of 4.2% from the RM9.93 billion recorded in 2021.
In 2023, Putrajaya and Ottawa celebrates 66 years of official diplomatic relations.
Anwar said they both exchanged views on the issue of Palestine.
The Canadian prime minister highlighted the need to protect civilians on both sides and to address the humanitarian crisis.
Trudeau upholds the two-state solution and calls for an independent Palestine, but he reiterates his support for the need for Israel to protect itself and ensure its security.
Anwar stressed the need to address the root cause of the conflict and end the Israeli occupation, and he also highlighted that Israel has committed various atrocities against Palestinians in the past decades with impunity and continues to build and expand illegal settlements.
Both leaders agreed that the current conflict should serve as a wake-up call for the international community on the need to end Israeli occupation based on the two-state solution.
On other developments, Trudeau pledged to do more to assist Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, said Anwar.
Malaysia also took the opportunity to raise the visa issue with Canada, whereby Malaysian tourists are required to obtain a Canadian visa with a waiting period between four and six months, while Canadian tourists are accorded a visa-on-arrival by Malaysia.
Malaysia’s prime minister reiterated his request that a reciprocal arrangement be accorded to Malaysia, similar to the visa-on-arrival facility accorded by Canada to Malaysia’s neighbouring countries in the region.
In response, Trudeau promised that he would rectify the situation as soon as possible. – November 18, 2023