SINGAPORE: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently made his first-ever trip to Russia, which may be advantageous for the country. Nonetheless, he has exposed himself to accusations of applying different standards as long as Russia fights against Ukraine, even after its illegitimate invasion of the latter in 2022.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, invited Anwar to the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). The goal of the yearly business leaders’ summit in Vladivostok since 2015 is to advance the Far Eastern region of Russia’s economic development.
Anwar spoke at the EEF plenary session and had a bilateral meeting with Putin during his two-day visit. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, he became the sixth leader of Southeast Asia to meet Putin (behind Indonesian president-elect Prabowo Subianto and his ASEAN counterparts from Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam).
He acknowledged to Putin during their meeting that he had not decided to travel to Russia lightly, but he insisted that it had been the right one. He wished to expand cooperation with Russia in all areas, including science and technology, energy transition, agriculture, and Islamic banking. In addition to applauding plans to create direct air links between the two nations, he urged Russian businesses to invest in Malaysia.
Also Read:
The Dalai Lama and Senior US Officials Meet in New York
