CAIRO — Malaysia and Egypt have agreed to elevate their bilateral relationship to a strategic partnership, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced.
Anwar said that both countries are committed to strengthening relations across various sectors for mutual benefit.
“To achieve this, Malaysia will host the next Joint Commission Meeting and Bilateral Consultation in 2025,” he said during a joint press conference with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace today.
Earlier, Anwar paid a courtesy call to El-Sisi in conjunction with his four-day official visit to Egypt. The two leaders held a private meeting before the bilateral discussions.
Anwar shared that he and El-Sisi agreed to expand cooperation in trade and investment, higher education, cultural affairs, defence and security, agro-commodities, and tourism.
Both countries also plan to leverage each other’s strengths in emerging areas such as digital economy, renewable energy, infrastructure development, transportation, maritime operations, manufacturing, and semiconductors.
“Malaysia has emerged to be one of the important semiconductor hubs in the region, and we should be able to collaborate in this field,” Anwar said.
As Malaysia prepares to chair Asean in 2025, Anwar expressed readiness to work closely with Egypt to enhance Asean-Egypt relations, urging Egypt to deepen its engagement with Asean, particularly given its founding role in the African Union.
Anwar also conveyed hopes to collaborate with Egypt and other BRICS members towards Malaysia’s full membership in BRICS, following endorsement from BRICS Leaders at the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, on October 23.
El-Sisi’s support for Malaysia’s BRICS application, Anwar said, would be invaluable. He emphasised that Egypt is regarded as a key advocate for the Global South, often championing independence and neutrality.
“And this is consistent with the Asean position we call centrality. We engage with all countries, are friends with all countries, but we maintain our independence and we collaborate with all countries, particularly in terms of trade and investments,” he added. — November 10, 2024