PUTRAJAYA, Oct 1 (NNN-Bernama) — Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephone conversation on Thursday night, where both expressed their determination to continue the momentum of the existing strong bilateral relations.
According to a statement from the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wisma Putra), the aforementioned bilateral ties include multifaceted areas, including health and security.
Saifuddin and Blinken also discussed international and regional issues, including the Australia-United Kingdom-US trilateral security partnership (AUKUS), the situation in Myanmar and Afghanistan and the South China Sea.
Regarding AUKUS, the statement said Saifuddin shared Malaysia’s concern over potential escalation of arms race in the region and reiterated Malaysia’s firm commitment to maintaining ASEAN as Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality (ZOPFAN).
The minister also reiterated the call for all concerned parties to respect and comply with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and the ASEAN’s Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty.
He hoped all concerned parties would strengthen existing cooperation so as to ensure peace, security, and stability in the region, as espoused in the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific.
“Saifuddin also reiterated Malaysia’s utmost appreciation for the US’ generous contribution of one million doses of COVID-19 Pfizer vaccine delivered to the Government of Malaysia last July, and the US$800,000 financial aid through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent in support of Malaysia’s National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme,” the statement said.
The US, through its Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, has also been extending various other assistance and contributions worth US$2.85 million to Malaysia since the outbreak of the pandemic.
“Both leaders expressed their commitment in maintaining continuous engagement between the two countries, including exchange of visits to capitalise on the vast potential of the Malaysia-US Comprehensive Partnership,” said the statement.
— NNN-BERNAMA
