Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has embarked on a trip to Istanbul, Turkiye, to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Anwar is accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and Deputy Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan.
The Prime Minister departed from Raja Khalid International Airport at 6.15pm local time (11.15pm Malaysian time) on a special aircraft heading to Istanbul International Airport.
After his meeting with President Erdogan, Anwar is scheduled to visit Cairo, Egypt on October 22nd (Sunday) to meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Anwar stated on October 20th (Friday) that his meeting with El-Sisi will discuss the opening of the Rafah crossing to facilitate the transportation of food, water, and medicine to Palestine. The Rafah crossing is situated between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Palestine.
Wisma Putra, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia, released a statement emphasizing Malaysia’s firm commitment to the Palestinian issue, particularly in alleviating the suffering faced by Palestinians due to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Earlier, Anwar arrived in Riyadh on October 19th (Thursday) for a working visit to Saudi Arabia, which included attendance at the Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit.
During the Asean-GCC summit held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Anwar delivered a speech focusing on the current conflict between Palestine and Israel. The GCC is a political and economic alliance composed of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait.
Asean and GCC established diplomatic ties in 1990 after the Gulf nations expressed their intention to engage with the ASEAN region formally.
In addition to attending the summit, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, held a meeting with Amin H. Nasser, the President and CEO of Aramco, as well as various Saudi Arabian companies and industry leaders.
Furthermore, Anwar was granted an audience with Saudi Arabia’s Prime Minister and Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, on a personal invitation.
Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among West Asian countries, with a total trade value of US$10.26 billion in 2022. – Bernama
