Malaysia-Australia committed to strengthening bilateral ties - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Australia today expressed their commitment to strengthen bilateral relations under the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperation (CSP), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who received a phone call from his counterpart, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, said that the two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields including trade and investment, education, defence and people-to-people relations.

He said Australia is a close and important partner for Malaysia, and in 2021, the two countries enhanced bilateral relations through CSP.

"This is the first interaction between the two of us since I took over the administration last month. Australia was Malaysia's 13th largest trading partner last year with a trade value of RM52.28 billion (USD13.76 billion)," he said in a post on Facebook yesterday.

A 2.50-minute video recording of the telephone conversation between Anwar and Albanese was also posted.

In the conversation, Anwar also said that the Unity Government led by him was stable and has already received more than two-thirds of the support of the Dewan Rakyat and wanted to focus on driving the national economy.

Albanese also congratulated Anwar on his appointment as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia, describing his appointment as the main leader of the government as an inspiration through his resilience in life and politics.

On Nov 24, Anwar who is also the Chairman of Pakatan Harapan (PH) was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister.

-- BERNAMA