Malaysia, UAE cooperate to share best practices in handling COVID-19

The Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) under the Foreign Ministry has cooperated with Rabdan Academy, an institute from United Arab Emirates (UAE), to share knowledge on the best practices for both countries in curbing the spread of COVID-19.

The cooperation was agreed on during a virtual conference which covered three major themes, namely, policing system, healthcare and international relations.

Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamaruddin Jaffar said the initiative was an impetus for future relations and deeper cooperation between the two countries where the session will be crucial to help both sides in preparation of any or similar circumstances in the future.

“We hope this will pave the way for more similar collaborations between Malaysia and the UAE,” he said in his speech at the opening session.

UAE Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Development Affairs Sultan Mohammed Al Shamsi said the country has a strong historical relationship with Malaysia where he stressed the need to move forward together as well as to share expertise and knowledge not just in this pandemic but also future crises.

“Another important factor is the strategic locations of both countries and the strong infrastructure helped in managing to not stop the supply chain, food and medical equipment,” he added.

Meanwhile, the UAE Ambassador to Malaysia Khalid Ghanem Al Ghaith also lauded the initiative, saying that both countries share a high level of cooperation through knowledge sharing and combating COVID-19 in each country.

For example, he said, in terms of aid, UAE has donated medical assistance to Malaysia in the form of 20,000 test kits and masks whereas Malaysia in turn donated food supplies to the UAE.

-- BERNAMA