PM to meet foreign counterparts on sidelines of United Nations meeting

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said Anwar, who is scheduled to deliver National Statement at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday, will hold bilateral meetings with leaders from Turkiye, Iran, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Iraq.

Zambry said the premier will also meet former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark who is currently the Chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Board, a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and minerals.

"Prime Minister will have a very tight schedule the moment he arrives here Wednesday (Sept 20), starting with a bilateral meeting with Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In fact, we continue to receive requests from other countries to meet him," he said.

Speaking to Malaysian media at the Office of Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the United Nations here, Zambry said the proposed meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani would provide opportunities for both countries to further strengthen their ties and explore new areas of cooperation.

"Iraq want to learn from us as it continues efforts to rebuild the country after the war. This offers us vast opportunities in fields like petroleum and gas," said Zambry who visited the country last month.

Iraq remains Malaysia's sixth largest trading partner and the seventh largest source of imports among the West Asian countries, with total trade last year valued at RM4.68 billion (US$1.07 billion), an increase of 24.3 per cent compared to RM3.76 billion (US$0.91 billion) in 2021.

Zambry said on Thursday Anwar is scheduled to participate in a Round Table Discussion with Fortune 500 Companies, and an engagement session with Invest Malaysia New York.

On the same day, the premier will attend a discussion session with members of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), an independent nonpartisan Think Tank and publisher that promotes understanding of international relations and foreign policy.

According to Zambry, Anwar is expected to discuss Malaysia-US relations, the effects of US-China competition on Malaysia, as well as the importance of Malaysian diplomacy in Southeast Asia during the session.

During his stay in the city, the Prime Minister is also scheduled to be interviewed by Christiane Amanpour of CNN on Wednesday and Bloomberg a day later.