PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and the Maldives are aiming to expand cooperation into new areas such as floating solar, defence and digital technology, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Noting that both countries are maritime nations, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, emphasised that the potential for collaboration is vast and continues to grow across multiple sectors, based on mutual benefit.
He said that existing collaborations already cover areas like education, tourism, sports and health.
“There are now new areas where we need to collaborate further, including floating solar, defence and digital technology,” he said during a joint press conference with Maldives President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, who is on a four-day official visit to Malaysia, which began yesterday.
This is Muizzu’s first visit to Malaysia since becoming president in November 2023, at Anwar’s invitation.
In education, Anwar said Malaysia’s collaboration with the Maldives, which includes the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP), is now expanding to include Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
“… it is now extending to STEM, TVET and higher education, university exchanges, sports, health.
“As we have seen, (today we) exchange of notes in training diplomats, (and) bilateral consultations,” he said.
Anwar also expressed Malaysia’s full support for President Muizzu, who has been vocal in urging the international community to prioritise environmental protection.
“We are with him on this, and we follow with great interest and we support the strong expression voiced by the President,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar expressed his satisfaction with the series of meetings with Muizzu and bilateral discussions with ministers.
“You see, we have a large number of ministers, both from the Maldives and from Malaysia, that shows the importance we place on our friendly neighbour, although quite a bit distant, but a beautiful country,” he said.
Earlier, Anwar and Muizzu witnessed the exchange of three Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) and two Exchange of Notes (EoN) covering various sectors to strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit.
In 2024, Malaysia’s total trade with the Maldives increased by 4.3 per cent to RM862.7 million (USD189 million) from RM827.3 million (USD180.9 million) in 2023, making the archipelagic nation Malaysia’s sixth-largest trading partner among South Asian countries.
