KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will continue to pursue a pragmatic, independent, principled and non-aligned foreign policy that revolves around the values of peace, justice and equality, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said regardless of the evolving regional and international architecture, the cardinal principles of Malaysia's foreign policy will remain consistent and unchanged.

"Malaysia is a nation that subscribes to the strong belief of peaceful coexistence between nations. We will always favour peaceful resolution of disputes over display of military might.

"We will continuously respect other nations' independence, sovereignty as well as territorial integrity and advocate the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries," he said at the launch of Foreign Policy Framework titled "Focus in Continuity: A Framework for Malaysia's Foreign Policy in a Post-Pandemic World", here, Tuesday.

Among those present at the launch were Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and his deputy Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar, heads of missions to Malaysia, and members of the Consultative Council on Foreign Policy (CCFP).

He said that as a responsible member of the world family, Malaysia, however, will not hesitate to voice out its opinions, objections or reservations against callous and cruel acts of oppression, injustice as well as inhumanity.

On another note, Prime Minister said it is pertinent for Malaysia to strive in global recovery efforts and emerge as a resilient nation economically, socially and politically - in the international arena, post COVID-19 pandemic.

"To achieve this, we would need to improve our resolve to strengthen international cooperation and multilateralism as well as have strong conviction that we are indeed a family of nations or world family," he said.

He said COVID-19 has brought disastrous consequences to economies and fiscal stability worldwide, with many countries, Malaysia included, still attempting to appropriately deal with the pandemic's catastrophic aftermath, adding that while few countries have recovered, many countries remain severely challenged by the pandemic.

"As for Malaysia, we are at an inflection point and it is critical to set clear directions to move towards a collective future - for the sake of our Keluarga Malaysia.

"I am adamant in ensuring that every policy and decision the Government undertakes would be made holistically in the best interest of Keluarga Malaysia, with the ultimate aim of spearheading the nation towards full recovery," he said.

-- BERNAMA