KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has described the recently concluded Asean and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit in Riyadh as historic.
He said that the two groups discussed how to foster investments for countries in both regions.
“This is historic in the sense that the GCC and Asean are two small regional groups that are economically very vibrant, and we are entering this collaboration without the influence of the big powers, to essentially benefit from the strength in the GCC, with the phenomenal growth, and the sustainability, in Asean.
“We had been discussing this for years, and then the Crown Prince said ‘Okay, let me host it’. So, we were all quite excited and I happened to coordinate on behalf of Asean now,” he said in an interview with Al-Arabiya which was posted today on his Facebook account.
“Because of his support and the presence of all leaders in GCC and Asean, we settled on a few parameters on how to further enhance the issues of trade and mechanisms to foster investments. I even proposed a so-called strategic partnership between Asean and the GCC,” he said.
Anwar said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud played an important role in making the cooperation a reality.
“His highness crown prince has played a pivotal role in the region. The two major meetings were hosted and coordinated by him. The foreign minister conference was no ordinary conference because it secured some basic parameters and understanding of many collaborations, particularly on humanitarian assistance.
“Of course, I would have to take note of that and thank him but more importantly, then discuss specifically the role of some of the big companies there and we have some of our own companies here. How we can utilise this experience in terms of research, new technology, green transition, trade and investments. I will use every minute to make sure that we secure something important for both (Malaysia and Saudi Arabia),” he said.
