KUALA LUMPUR: An issue that will be brought up at the 2023 Apec Economic Leaders’ Week will be the Israeli aggression against Palestinians, as said by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The Prime Minister expressed that Malaysia, being a country that supports the Palestinian struggle for their homeland, is responsible for raising this issue.
He did not provide specifics on which matters pertaining to Palestine will be discussed at Apec.
Anwar stated this during his media interaction on Wednesday (Nov 8) after launching the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) International Palm Oil Congress and Exhibition 2023 (PIPOC 2023) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
“I will discuss the developments on the issue (Palestine) and we will fulfil our duties as well as we can,” said Anwar.
He mentioned on the previous day (Nov 7) that he intends to attend the Apec event in the US despite calls for Malaysia to boycott the summit because of the ongoing situation in Gaza.
“We do not agree with the United States’ position (on the Israel-Palestine conflict), but it is our priority to maintain diplomatic relations while not budging from our position on championing justice,” he had said.
The Apec meeting is scheduled to be held in San Francisco from Nov 11 to 17.
Apec was established in 1989 to capitalize on the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific. The 21 Apec member economies account for nearly 40% of the global population, nearly 50% of global trade, and more than 60% of US goods exports.
Apec’s 21 member economies comprise of Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the US and Vietnam.
