From Siti Radziah Hamzah
TASHKENT, June 24 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has great potential to expand its market in Central Asia by further strengthening bilateral cooperation with Uzbekistan, which could serve as the best platform and gateway into the region, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said that in several meetings with top leaders and private sector representatives in the republic since last Saturday, both countries had agreed to strengthen and enhance economic cooperation, including increasing trade and investment volumes -- especially in sectors such as energy, palm oil, sukuk, and semiconductors.
Therefore, the working visit, which follows Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's visit last year, is expected to further broaden business and investment networks in the republic to achieve that goal.
"We also agreed to further enhance cooperation in the energy sector, particularly renewable energy. They also invited Malaysia to participate not just in the installation of energy systems, but also in transmission, upgrading the grid system, and smart grid systems, which we are also developing.
"They also proposed cooperation with Malaysia in the area of carbon trading. This aligns with our commitment to global sustainability, and they are looking forward to Malaysia’s expertise in this field," Fadillah told reporters at the exit press conference at the end of his four-day working visit to Uzbekistan.
Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said Uzbekistan is also interested in learning from and sharing Malaysia’s expertise in water security.
"One of their challenges is in clean water supply for drinking and other uses, and they made a specific request for us to share our experience and expertise in this area. I agreed, in principle, and Insya-Allah, we will follow up to see how we can fulfil that request," he said.
Additionally, he expressed hope that Uzbekistan will increase imports of palm oil from Malaysia, which is currently the main export product to the country.
"In this regard, I suggested that Uzbekistan cooperate with the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) and subsequently become a hub for Malaysian palm oil exports to Central Asia," he added.
He also hopes that MPOC will organise awareness programmes in Uzbekistan to promote the benefits of palm oil, thereby enhancing the republic's position as Malaysia's entry point into Central Asia.
Fadillah further added that the Uzbekistan government also has expressed interest in learning from Malaysia’s extensive experience in developing the sukuk market, as Malaysia is recognised as a global leader in Islamic finance.
To boost bilateral tourism, Fadillah announced that AirAsia X will launch a new flight route between Malaysia and Uzbekistan starting this October.
"When I was in Samarkand, they expressed hope for a direct flight from Malaysia to Samarkand. I will convey this to AirAsia, and hopefully, AirAsia can consider a thrice-weekly flight, with at least one flight per week to Samarkand," he said.
Apart from that, he mentioned that Malaysia encourages Uzbekistan to continue participating in technical training programmes under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP) organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
To date, a total of 832 officials from Uzbekistan have benefitted from this programme since it was introduced in 1992.
Fadillah said Malaysia and Uzbekistan will also explore deeper cooperation in the semiconductor sector, with a memorandum of understanding signed on June 13 between MIMOS and Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, along with the Uzeltexsanoat Association.
During his visit to the republic from June 21-24, Fadillah also held meetings with Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamakhmudov.
The Deputy Prime Minister is scheduled to continue his working visit to Russia from June 24-28.
-- BERNAMA
