KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — The importance of championing human rights is in line with what is advocated in the Malaysia Madani concept, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
In a Facebook post, Anwar said he had pointed this out during a meeting with the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, in Parliament yesterday.
“A country needs to have a vision based on the basic values needed in a harmonious, prosperous and peaceful society without forgetting the concept of compassion and human rights,” he said.
The prime minister said the visit of Volker and his delegation to Malaysia was at the invitation of the government.
It was part of Malaysia’s ongoing efforts to foster cooperation with the UN to increase awareness and understanding of human rights for the benefit of all.
In a separate post, Anwar said he also received a courtesy visit from United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr Thani Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi.
Among the topics discussed in the meeting, which was also attended by Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz, was bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and the UAE, especially in the economic field.
“Thank God, many collaborations have been worked on between agencies and companies of both countries before and also those planned for the future,” he said.
The prime minister said a more cohesive and close commitment is expected to be explored through deeper economic cooperation, particularly through the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) that is being negotiated.
Zafrul, in a statement yesterday, said both countries confirmed their commitment to sign the agreement by this year.
As Malaysia's first free trade agreement with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it is expected to pave the way towards deeper economic cooperation and foster an environment conducive to increase trade and investment flows, not only between the two countries but also Asean and the GCC region in general.
— Bernama
