By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
JAKARTA, July 13 (NNN-Bernama) — The first meeting of ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) foreign ministers is scheduled to take place this September in New York in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly, said Malaysian Foreign Minister Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.
“Apart from the meeting schedule, preparations for the ASEAN-GCC Summit to be held in October 2023 in Riyadh were also discussed,” he told reporters after a 45-minute bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan here Wednesday.
The meeting with Prince Faisal also touched upon efforts to strengthen the special Malaysia-Saudi Arabia bilateral relationship, Zambry said, adding that Saudi Arabia, as ASEAN’s new dialogue partner, will promote more effective relations in various sectors.
Saudi Arabia, a member of the GCC, became the 51st country to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) with ASEAN, and Malaysia serves as the coordinating country for ASEAN-GCC relations.
At Wednesday’s 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers conference, Prince Faisal signed documents witnessed by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
Through the TAC, Saudi Arabia is committed to cooperating and collaborating, upholding international law, and contributing towards peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Zambry also had an extensive discussion at the two events earlier, namely the East Asia Summit (EAS) in 2023 and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
On EAS, he emphasised the need to enhance cooperation in the nine priority areas of cooperation as well as finalising the EAS Plan of Action 2024-2028.
He further highlighted the need to explore new areas of cooperation that would increase economic growth and assist in the alleviation of poverty in the region.
On the future direction of the ARF, Zambry recommended that the ARF transition from confidence-building measures into preventive diplomacy in light of ongoing and heightening geopolitical tensions, in ensuring the maintenance of peace, prosperity, and stability in the region.
Meanwhile, Zambry in a statement Wednesday night said, during the meeting with Prince Faisal, he also expressed the Malaysian government’s appreciation to the government of Saudi Arabia for the additional hajj quota for Malaysia.
He said, at the same time, appreciation was also given to Saudi Arabia for the best treatment given to the Malaysian King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah when he and Queen Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah together with the Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah performed the Hajj recently.
“I also conveyed my appreciation and gratitude for the help and assistance given by the Government of Saudi Arabia during the mission to get Malaysians out of the crisis in Sudan,” he said.
He added that at this meeting, Prince Faisal interacted directly via telephone with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“At the same time it shows how committed and close both Malaysia and Saudi Arabia are to one another and disproves claims about our relationship,” he said.
— NNN-BERNAMA