Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim held a joint press conference in Kuala Lumpur on May 25 to announce the outcomes of their official talks, which took place earlier the same day as part of the former’s ongoing official visit to Malaysia.
At the conference, PM Anwar Ibrahim described Vietnam as a close and cherished friend holding a special place in his heart and that of the Malaysian people. He expressed deep admiration for the nation’s struggle for national independence and late President Ho Chi Minh, noting that he used to join intellectuals of Malaysian and some other ASEAN countries in activities advocating Vietnam's fight for independence and freedom.
He highlighted the highly successful talks between he and the Vietnamese leaders, saying that both agreed to advance bilateral relations across various sectors through concrete projects and actions to implement the existing agreements and cooperation mechanisms between the two countries and within ASEAN. A key area of cooperation includes the establishment of an interconnected electricity network between Vietnam, Malaysia, and the broader ASEAN region.
PM Ibrahim lauded the notable progress already achieved under the two countries’ recently established comprehensive strategic partnership, particularly in trade, investment, tourism, agriculture, education and training, and maritime cooperation. He also took note of joint efforts in addressing issues of shared concern.
The host expressed confidence that Vietnam – Malaysia relations will grow even stronger in the time to come.
For his part, PM Chinh described the talks as open and greatly successful across all aspects, reflecting the two sides’ mutual understanding and shared commitment to further deepening bilateral ties in a comprehensive, inclusive, substantive, and effective manner, in line with the aspirations and potential of both nations as well as their comprehensive strategic partnership.
The two sides agreed to quickly finalise the action plan for implementing the comprehensive strategic partnership for 2025–2030 and establish a meeting mechanism between the two PMs.
Vietnam and Malaysia will enhance defence and security cooperation for peace, stability, cooperation, and development in each country and the region as a whole. They will promote the negotiation of a code of conduct in the East Sea (COC) that is efficient and substantive and based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), PM Chinh noted.
He went on to say that the two sides also agreed to foster collaboration in economy, trade, and investment, especially in agriculture, food production, halal product manufacturing, tourism, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.
Appreciating Malaysia’s assistance for the Vietnamese community in the country and recognition of the Malaysia – Vietnam Friendship Association, PM Chinh said Vietnam highly values the role of and efforts by Malaysia as Chair of ASEAN this year, particularly in promoting ASEAN’s centrality and the building of an ASEAN with unity in diversity amid current global uncertainties.
On this occasion, the two sides inked several important cooperation documents, he noted, emphasising that Vietnam wishes to connect the two economies and the entire ASEAN as well, including business connectivity, people-to-people connectivity, along with hard and soft connectivity to maintain stability, peace, cooperation, and development in the region to work towards fast and sustainable development, secure social progress and equality, and ensure social security, thus leaving no one behind.
The Vietnamese leader perceived that the two countries have made a great stride. Following the elevation of bilateral ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, his visit aims to convey a message about the confidence, political resolve, and efforts to transform the signed documents and messages into concrete actions and measurable results.
Stating that Vietnam and Malaysia can form a cooperation model in ASEAN that is politically durable, economically strong, culturally profound, and broad in vision, PM Chinh voiced his belief that Malaysia will successfully serve as ASEAN Chair in 2025, firstly successfully holding the 46th ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN – Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, and the ASEAN – GCC – China Summit, so as to enlarge of scope and scale of cooperation for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Earlier, the Vietnamese and Malaysian PMs witnessed the exchange of cooperation documents between the two sides, including a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between Vietnam Electricity and Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) of Malaysia, a letter of intent on cooperation between the Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City and the National University of Malaysia, and another letter of intent on cooperation between the Vietnam National University, Hanoi and the National University of Malaysia./.
