Malaysia and Indonesia are expected to hold bilateral talks in Penang within the next two months to address the transboundary haze and strengthen ties between the two neighbours.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto had agreed to the Penang dialogue when they met at the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, Free Malaysia Today reported.
“We will also discuss efforts to increase trade, strengthen bilateral relations, and cooperation on the haze issue, among others,” Anwar told reporters in Kozhikode, Keralam, on the sidelines of the summit.
It was not immediately clear whether the proposed Penang meeting would be the 14th Malaysia-Indonesia annual consultation, which Malaysia is due to host this year. The annual consultation is the highest-level bilateral mechanism between the two countries and is hosted alternately by Malaysia and Indonesia.
Anwar and Prabowo held the 13th annual consultation in Jakarta on 29 July last year, their first since Prabowo became president. It was also the first such meeting between the two countries in nearly eight years, The Star reported. The previous meeting was held in Kuching, Sarawak, on 22 November 2017 between then Prime Minister Najib Razak and then Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
The discussion comes amid a severe forest and land fire season in Indonesia, with smoke from fires in parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra affecting neighbouring countries including Malaysia. Anwar, who spoke to Prabowo during the summit’s gala dinner on Saturday, said he had renewed his invitation for the Indonesian leader to visit Malaysia at the earliest opportunity to discuss and resolve several outstanding bilateral matters.
“With President Prabowo, we also had the opportunity to touch on the issue of forest fires, as well as developments in the conflict in the Middle East, which require consensus and joint action,” Anwar said in a social media post on Sunday.
Separately, Anwar met Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan to discuss ways to increase trade and investment between Malaysia and the Indian state. They also discussed closer ties in technology, healthcare, tourism and education. At a meeting with Keralam business leaders later, Anwar urged companies from the state to consider investing in Malaysia, and said areas with potential included electronics, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.
