VLADIVOSTOK, Sept 5 (NNN-SPUTNIK) — Malaysia does not feel threatened by the US plans to deploy missiles in the Asia-Pacific region or by Chinese warships there, but it is worried about potential accidents, its prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, told Sputnik news agency in an interview.
In August, US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper said he would like to deploy medium-range missiles in Asia, adding, however, that this could take a long time.
“I don’t think any official offer has been made, but this is something that we gather from the news. And we think that if we have to spend money on defence, it must really be something that is useful for us to maintain our security. At the moment, Malaysia does not feel threatened. Yes, there are Chinese warships in the South China Sea and Americans have also come there, but we don’t see that as a threat directly against Malaysia,” the prime minister said when asked how the potential deployment of US missiles could impact the situation in the region.
“But the possibility of accidents happening is what worries us. If accidents happen and lead to some fighting, we are not going to be involved. We don’t want to take sides with anyone,” Mahathir went on to say.
The Malaysian premier is currently in Russia’s Vladivostok, attending the Eastern Economic Forum, which will run through Friday. The Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency is an official media partner of the event.
–BERNAMA
