Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim expressed his satisfaction with Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia’s united stand on the Gaza issue at the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco. He noted that leaders from Brunei and Indonesia had also spoken out about the conflict in the Middle East and the atrocities in Gaza.
A consensus on a paragraph proposed by the United States regarding the geopolitical issue involving Russia and Ukraine was not reached by Apec Economies, as expected. Anwar arrived in the United States early to attend the 30th Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting from Nov 14-17.
Despite the failure to reach a consensus on the geopolitical issue, Malaysia discussed it with like-minded economies and agreed to introduce a paragraph on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Anwar confirmed. As a compromise, the United States agreed to remove the geopolitical element from both the AELM and AMM statements and would only include the issue in the Chair’s Statement.
Anwar noted that Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia agreed to issue a joint statement expressing their firm stand and clearer views on the discussions about the Gaza humanitarian crisis at Apec 2023. However, only the Chair’s Statement on the Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting mentioned Gaza and the ongoing crisis there.
Leaders, including those from the United States, shared their respective positions on the Gaza crisis, as mentioned in the Chair’s Statement. Some leaders objected to the inclusion of this language in the accompanying 2023 Apec Leaders’ Golden Gate Declaration, expressing their belief that Apec is not a forum to discuss geopolitical issues.
Anwar stated that Malaysia took an important position in the discussions, emphasizing that they are not members of adversarial or combative, but rather take the position as friends. He expressed satisfaction with the overall participation in Apec 2023, emphasizing that he used the forum to appeal for an end to the atrocities in Gaza rather than to condemn.
According to Anadolu Agency, quoting the Palestine government media office, the Palestinian death toll in the ongoing crisis since Oct 7 has surpassed 12,000. Anwar was joined by several Malaysian officials at the press conference, including the Foreign Minister, Communications and Digital Minister, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister, Malaysia’s Ambassador to the United States, and the Consul General of Malaysia in Los Angeles.
Prior to the press conference, the Prime Minister met with about 400 members of the Malaysian diaspora, addressing a range of questions and issues, including dual citizenship, the ringgit, and brain drain, with the majority being students. – Bernama
