LIMA (Peru): Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Peru marks a strengthened commitment to enhancing the strategic relationship between Malaysia and the Latin American nation, particularly through Malaysia's support for Peru's status as an "Asean Development Partner".
The move reflects Malaysia's aspirations to strengthen Asean-Pacific cooperation ahead of next year, when the country assumes chairmanship of the regional bloc.
In a joint statement released by Anwar and Peru President Dina Ercilia Boluarte Zegarra, the latter expressed appreciation to Malaysia for its support and emphasised Peru's commitment to continue exploring cooperation in areas of mutual interest with Asean member states.
Both leaders emphasised the importance of strengthening this relationship through the Asean-Peru Development Partnership Committee, which will enable greater cooperation in areas such as trade, security, and social development.
As an economic initiative, both countries have signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in the halal, agriculture and gastronomy sectors.
Malaysia is offering assistance to Peru in developing a halal product ecosystem recognised by Malaysian authorities, with a proposal to establish a dedicated Halal Economic Zone at Chancay Port, which is expected to become a logistics hub and halal supply chain centre for the Latin American market.
Peru also welcomes the strategic role of Chancay Port as a multi-purpose hub that will strengthen bilateral trade.
In this regard, Malaysia has been invited to participate in the development of the Logistics, Industrial, and Technology Hub on the central coast of Peru, which is set to be launched alongside the opening of the new port.
From a trade perspective, both countries have agreed to accelerate the process of introducing new products to each other's markets, as well as promote responsible, sustainable, and inclusive investments.
Trade relations between Malaysia and Peru have shown significant improvement, surpassing pre-Covid levels and continuing to grow in line with trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
In terms of security, Malaysia and Peru also support cooperation between their respective enforcement agencies in addressing transnational crimes such as human trafficking, money laundering, cybercrime, and drug trafficking.
This initiative is seen as crucial in ensuring more sustainable regional security.
The visit also strengthened cultural and educational ties between the two countries.
Malaysia has offered two scholarships to Peruvian students to pursue their studies in Malaysia in 2025, as part of efforts to promote knowledge exchange and deepen people-to-people relations between the two nations.
Malaysia also hopes to attract more tourists from Peru in conjunction with the Visit Malaysia Year 2026.
Boluarte praised Malaysia's leadership, expressing hope that it will promote inclusivity and sustainability in line with the Asean Community Vision 2045.
Malaysia, meanwhile, expressed its appreciation to Peru for its role in leading the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation this year, where it succeeded in strengthening collaboration and dialogue among APEC economies.
Anwar's visit also led to his being presented with Peru's highest award, the El Sol del Peru (The Sun of Peru) with the grade of "Grand Cross".
Anwar expressed appreciation for the warm welcome from the government of Peru and emphasised Malaysia's commitment to further strengthening strategic relations with Peru, as well as playing a key role in enhancing Asean-Pacific cooperation.