President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Nov. 25 pose for photos for their bilateral summit at the Office of the President in Seoul.
By Xu Aiying
Photos = Office of the President
Korea and Malaysia have upgraded their ties to the level of a strategic partnership ahead of the 65th anniversary of bilateral relations next year.
President Yoon Suk Yeol on Nov. 25 hosted summit talks in Seoul with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who was on an official visit to Korea, and adopted a joint statement on the newly formed partnership.
"Based on the Korea-Malaysia memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation signed in 2022, the two sides hope to expand exchange and cooperation in national defense and the defense industry," President Yoon said. "Following the export of our light attack aircraft (FA-50) last year, we request Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's interest and support to allow Korean companies to continue participating in Malaysia's defense industry."
The Malaysian leader responded by calling his country a trustworthy security partner of Korea, adding that Kuala Lumpur hopes to work closely with Seoul in the defense industry and joint training sectors.
Both leaders welcomed the resumption of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement this year and agreed to accelerate efforts to conclude the deal next year. They also pledged to raise cooperation in infrastructure and supply chains for core minerals.
President Yoon Suk Yeol (third from left) and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (third from right) on Nov. 25 hold their bilateral summit at the Office of the President in Seoul.
Both leaders agreed that achieving carbon neutrality and transitioning to a green economy are essential to promote sustainable development.
President Yoon said, "Based on the conclusion of MOUs on cooperation in carbon capture and storage and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, let both countries bolster cooperation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Prime Minister Anwar responded by saying he hopes the two sides develop mutually beneficial cooperation in clean hydrogen, calling both countries the best partners in the sector.
The two leaders also agreed to work closely together to produce productive outcomes at Korea's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and Malaysia's hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit.
