Malaysia to import $200m meat from Pakistan, PM hails it as ‘welcome step’

Pakistan, Malaysia sign six MoUs for cooperation in education, tourism, anti-corruption

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif termed on Monday his Malaysian counterpart’s announcement of the import of Halal meat worth $200 million from Pakistan a “welcome step”, which he said would further augment engagement in this sector between the countries.

The PM’s remarks came in a post on X after he addressed a joint press conference alongside Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya following bilateral talks between the two leaders. PM Shehbaz had also mentioned during the press conference that the Malaysian premier had indicated interest in meat exports from Pakistan.

PM Shehbaz, who reached Malaysia on Sunday on a state visit, further shared in his post that he had a “most productive exchange of views with my dear brother Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya today”.

“We held wide-ranging discussions on ways to further strengthen our historic partnership — focusing on trade and investment, climate, defence, education, and tourism.”

The prime minister added that the two leaders also had an in-depth discussion on regional and global developments, including the situation in the Middle East and South Asia. Both prime ministers “reaffirmed our shared resolve to continue working together for the peace, progress, and prosperity of our peoples,” PM Shehbaz said.

“Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and I shared our deep admiration for Allama Iqbal, whose message of faith and self-renewal continues to inspire generations across the Muslim world.”

Addressing the Malaysia Business Forum alongside his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan and Malaysia can create a new market through joint efforts and also become potential suppliers to other countries.

Meanwhile, Pakistan and Malaysia on Monday signed six accords to strengthen bilateral cooperation covering different areas including education, Halal certification, tourism and combating corruption.

The pre-signed documents were exchanged at a ceremony held at Perdana Putra Complex – Office of the Malaysian Prime Minister – during the three-day official visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Malaysia, at the invitation of his Malay counterpart Anwar Ibrahim.

Both the leaders witnessed the ceremony held after their meeting as well as the delegation level talks.

Pakistan and Malaysia signed an MoU on Exchange of Notes between the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) and the Foreign Service Academy of Pakistan on cooperation in the field of training for diplomats. The documents were exchanged by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Malaysian Foreign Minister Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan.

As MoU was signed between the governments of Malaysia and Pakistan on cooperation in the field of higher education and the documents were exchanged by DPM Ishaq Dar and Malaysia’s Higher Education Minisyer Dr. Zambry Abd Kadir.

Minister of Tourism of Malaysia Tiong King Sing and Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar exchanged the documents of an MoU between the two governments for cooperation in the field of tourism.

The two sides signed an MoU on Halal Certification and the relevant documents were exchanged by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr. Haji Mohd Na’im Bin Haji Mokhtar and Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan.

Both countries inked an MoU to expand cooperation in combating and preventing corruption. The documents were exchanged by Chief Commissioner The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Azam Bin Baki    and Deputy Chairman of National Accountability Bureau Sohail Nasir.

The sixth accord was meant to enhance cooperation between Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) Pakistan and Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation Malaysia. Chief Executive Officer SME Corporation Malaysia Rizal bin Dato’ Nain and Special Assistant to PM Syed Tariq Fatemi exchanged the documents. Monitoring Desk