Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan and Malaysia had agreed to elaborate on the collaboration in defense, trade and new technologies after what he described as “very productive” conversations with Malaysian colleague Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya.
“Pakistan can greatly benefit from Malaysia’s expertise in technology, IT and AI,” Shehbaz said at a joint press conference. “We are eager to learn from Malaysia’s experience and pursue joint ventures and mutually advantageous projects.”
He greeted Malaysia’s decision to import $ 200 million meat from Pakistan and assured that Pakistan would do everything to meet Malaysian conditions. He also noticed Malaysia’s increasing import of Pakistani rice and expressed optimism about further expansion of agricultural trade.
Read: PM Shehbaz Sharif on the way to Malaysia for Official Visit
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the Urdu translation of Anwar Ibrahim’s book script and described it as “a guiding framework for sustainability, mutual respect, compassion, innovation, research and development, progress, prosperity and mutual trust.”
He praised Anwar’s “visionary leadership” and confirmed that Pakistan – “a nation blessed with enormous resources and great minds” – was obliged to equip his youth with modern knowledge and collaboration with Malaysia for shared wealth.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who remembered the “historical brotherly relations” between the two nations, said that economic cooperation had always been central to their ties.
“It is our common hope to further improve cooperation in all areas,” he said, adding that Malaysia would also ease beef import from Pakistan.
He highlighted the potential for collaboration in new technologies and famous Pakistan’s attitude towards Palestine and noted that both countries supported peace efforts.
Previously, Prime Minister Shehbaz received a ceremonial honor at Perdana Putra complex, in which he inspected the quotes of the Malaysian armed forces. Both leaders introduced their delegations before holding one-to-one and delegation levels.
The two pages signed Memorandums for understanding that covers higher education, tourism, halal certification, anti-corruption collaboration and small and medium-sized businesses. They also discussed expanding ties in trade, telecommunications, the halal industry, investments, energy, infrastructure, the digital economy and people-to-people contacts.
PM Shehbaz is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and special assistant Tariq Fatemi on his three-day official visit. He was received upon arrival at Kuala Lumpur by Malaysian Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Pakistan’s High Commissioner Syed Ahsan Raza Shah.
Read more: PM to explore export potential with Malaysia
The visit is expected to give “new driving force” to Pakistan-Malaysia connections and strengthen cooperation in strategic and future-focused sectors.
Last year, Prime Minister Anwar visited Ibrahim Pakistan, where he was awarded to Nishan-E-Pakistan for his contributions to Islamic Brotherhood and Cooperation.
The two countries are also bound by Malaysia-Pakistan closer financial partnership agreement (MPCEPA), signed in 2007, which promotes trade in goods and services, regulates investment flows and supports collaboration in intellectual property, healthcare, telecom, tourism and construction.
