KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia can still continue international trade cooperation despite the conflict between Russia and Ukraine affecting the global economy, the Dewan Negara was told today.

Senior Minister cum Minister of International Trade and Industry Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said Malaysia as a small trading nation takes the attitude and stance of establishing economic cooperation with other trading countries through free trade agreements that had been signed by Malaysia.

"Recently, Malaysia is a member of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) which provides access to the world's largest market representing 2.2 billion people in the world and one-third of the global market.

"Therefore, this allows Malaysia to continue trade cooperation with countries that are not involved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," he said while winding up the debate on the motion of thanks for the Royal Address at the Dewan Negara here today.

He was responding to an additional question from Senator Datuk Razali Idris who wanted to know the side effects on Malaysia following the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the government's efforts to attract foreign investors to Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA