Русский
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Russia Tuesday May 13th on a four-day visit at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He stayed in Moscow from Tuesday to Thursday, and will travel to attend the Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum international economic forum in Kazan on Thursday and Friday.
While in Moscow, Ibrahim met with Russian entrepreneurs and the Malaysian community among others.
“Malaysia intends to expand the supply of cocoa and palm oil to Russia”, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin. He added that he had given Mishustin an official invitation to visit the country in the near future as part of a delegation of Russian government and business leaders.
the Malaysian Prime Minister wrote on his Telegram channel “I have expressed Malaysia’s intention … to increase trade in cocoa and palm oil products. We also welcome Russian investments in the aerospace industry, digital economy, energy and agricultural technologies, as well as joint research and innovation efforts.”
“Russia and Malaysia can implement joint projects in the gas sector and in the peaceful atom”, Russian President Vladimir Putin said. Russia is discussing boosting oil supplies to Malaysia, including countries neighboring Malaysia. Malaysia produced 343,000 barrels of oil per day in April, down 17,000 bpd from March and down nearly 60,000 bpd as now permitted under the OPEC+ agreement, to which Malaysia is a party.
Russia is discussing participation and cooperation in developing Malaysia’s gas market and gas trade. Russia’s Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said “We’ve made proposals regarding gas trade and participation in developing Malaysia’s gas market, specifically Russian investment in receiving infrastructure, pipeline networks and gas storage facilities. These proposals are under discussion, though further work requires direct company-to-company negotiations.”
Russian Deputy Energy Minister Roman Marshavin stated that Russia was discussing supplying LNG to both Indonesia and Malaysia. “There’s definite interest as they’re developing oil and gas hubs and require supplies,” Alongside Indonesia, Malaysia possesses Asia’s largest natural gas liquefaction capacity, ranking as the world’s fifth-largest LNG exporter in 2023. However, their facilities operate below full capacity amid declining domestic reserves.
According to a report from the International Gas Union (IGU), Malaysia exported 26.8 million tonnes of LNG in 2023 against total liquefaction capacity of 32 million tonnes, while importing 2.6 million tonnes. The country’s regasification capacity allows for 7.3 million tonnes of annual LNG imports.
The Malaysian Prime Minister, meanwhile stated “We ourselves will decide what is best for Malaysia and its people! Therefore, we would like to establish cooperation, an alliance with the Russian Federation, to restore direct flights between our countries.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit Malaysia. “If the Russian president could arrive in our country as soon as possible, for instance, during the ASEAN summit in October, this would be the greatest present for the people of Malaysia. I can assure you that your presence in Malaysia would be a great breakthrough for Malaysia and for the entire region. I believe that many people in the region expect a lot from your role and your leadership,” Anwar said after negotiations with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
From all observable indications, the Russia-Malaysia relationship will continue to grow closer with energy and agriculture leading the way.
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