SAMARKAND: Trade and investment will be the main focus for cooperation between Malaysia and Uzbekistan following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's three-day official visit to the Central Asian nation which began on Friday.
Anwar said these two aspects were emphasised in his discussion with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his courtesy visit to the latter in Tashkent on the day of arrival.
"The discussion with President Mirziyoyev obviously focused on investment and trade opportunities in line with Uzbekistan's strengths, including in the mining sector with its large capacity in terms of energy such as hydrogen and ammonia.
"Early discussions were held with Petronas due to this. Then only came education, culture, and tourism; but our (main) focus is trade and investment," he told the Malaysian media at the conclusion of his visit to Uzbekistan here today.
Anwar said the Uzbek President has also proposed to the high-level joint technical cooperation committee, chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries, to include a more comprehensive area.
"Apart from this, the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) will arrange and describe the trade activities for coordination by the countries' respective foreign ministries," he said.
Anwar said other matters discussed include Uzbekistan's participation in the Global Forum of Islamic Economics and Finance (GFIEF) in Kuala Lumpur on May 28-29, 2024, and the cooperation between the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan (CCIU) as well as the cooperation of universities such as Universiti Malaysia Sarawak and Universiti Utara Malaysia with Uzbekuniversities in several fields.
"The experience (of visiting) Uzbekistan is extraordinary. The reception and friendship shown were warm and full of respect, and Malaysia was accorded high recognition.
"I urge my colleagues and the officials involved (during this visit) as well as companies to carry out their mission to the best of their abilities to maintain our good name apart from increasing investment and trade opportunities that will benefit all Malaysians," he added.
Uzbekistan is Anwar's last stop of his official visit to three Central Asian countries. Prior to this, the Prime Minister was in the Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan.
On the first day of his visit to the capital of Uzbekistan, he paid a courtesy call on Mirziyoyev before holding a meeting with the latter.
In the meeting that lasted over an hour, the two leaders discussed the relations between Malaysia and Uzbekistan and explored potential areas of cooperation.
On the second day, Anwar and Uzbek Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev attended the Uzbekistan-Malaysia High Level Business Forum at the Samarkand Silk Road Complex, which saw the participation of over 200 companies from Malaysia and Uzbekistan.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing; and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar are part of the Malaysian delegation accompanying the Prime Minister. – Bernama