KUALA LUMPUR: The decision and process for Malaysia to be a member of BRICS will be driven by Putrajaya, said Malaysia’s ambassador to Moscow Datuk Cheong Loon Lai.
“I believe it is still too early for me to provide comments (on the matter),” he said when contacted by Bernama on Tuesday.
Cheong said this when asked to comment on Malaysia’s intention in joining the BRICS group as revealed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.
Speaking in an interview with Chinese media outlet Guancha, Anwar was reported as saying Malaysia will initiate the formal process to join the BRICS group soon.
“We have made our policy clear and we have made our decision,” added Anwar.
BRICS, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, was established in 2009 as a cooperative platform for emerging economies.
In January 2024, Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) joined the grouping as new members.
While Moscow welcomes new members to BRICS, it has set a key criteria that countries seeking to join the group should not participate in illegal unilateral sanctions.
Asked on Malaysia-Russia bilateral ties, Cheong said Malaysia’s Embassy in Moscow is optimistic that Malaysia-Russia bilateral ties especially trade will strengthen further in the coming years.
He said Malaysia-Russia relation is going very well now and both countries will remain engaged.
“Malaysia’s bilateral trade with Russia continues to grow steadily, despite the challenging global economic landscape.
“Total trade stood at US$3.11 billion in 2023, as compared to US$2.79 billion in 2022,” he said.
Elaborating on Malaysia-Russia good ties, Cheong said such positive development was reflected through the big participation in the XV Russia-Islamic World - KazanForum 2024 in the region of Tatarstan, Russia last month.
During the forum, Malaysia set up a pavilion promoting various sectors including the Halal industry, education sector, agriculture as well as food and beverages products.
Malaysia’s participation in KazanForum this year is bigger than the previous year, he added.
Cheong said a delegation from Tatarstan, Russia will participate in the 20th Malaysia International Halal Showcase which will be hosted by Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry this September.
On people’s movement between the two countries, he said Malaysia witnessed a remarkable increase of Russian tourist arrivals in 2023 with a total of 109,689 visitors, marking an outstanding growth of 232.4 per cent from the previous year.
“This significant surge underscores the continued and growing appeal of Malaysia as a preferred destination among Russian travellers.
“Tourism Malaysia is projecting a 30 per cent growth from the Russian market this year, with an expected total of 140,000 arrivals,” Cheong said.
He said the DE Rantau Nomad Pass, a type of Professional Visit Pass newly designed to allow qualified foreign digital nomads to travel and work in Malaysia, has also been very popular with the Russians.
In 2023, Russian professionals have emerged as one of the top three holders of this new digital nomad pass, he said.
The programme was set up under Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to establish Malaysia as the preferred digital nomad hub in Southeast Asia, while boosting digital adoption and promoting digital professional mobility and tourism across the country.
