The bilateral talks between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Malaysia took place at the Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning.
At the talks, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar bin Ibrahim said that Myanmar and Malaysia are important friends, like neighboring countries, and Myanmar is also an important country for ASEAN. Malaysia always places great importance on maintaining good diplomatic relations with Myanmar.
He stated that they have met previously in Thailand and the People’s Republic of China, and he hopes that the interactions will further strengthen the bonds of friendship between them. He would also like to express gratitude for accepting his invitation, with a view to further strengthening the existing bonds of friendship, enhancing interactions, and promoting cooperation for the mutual interests of the two countries.
He expressed his gratitude for the assistance and cooperation extended to Myanmar nationals in Malaysia who have been facing difficulties for various reasons, including efforts to provide them with assistance and rescue and facilitate their repatriation to Myanmar.
The President of Myanmar also expressed his pleasure and pride that Malaysia has been participating as a BRICS partner country since January 2025. He expressed his belief that the meeting and discussions would further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between the two countries and enhance bilateral cooperation. He noted that Myanmar and Malaysia had established diplomatic relations in 1958 and that more than 68 years had passed since then, with 2028 marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In this regard, he proposed making preparations in advance to organize special and meaningful commemorative events to mark the occasion. He also highlighted that the two countries had maintained close and friendly relations throughout the history of their bilateral ties. Although they are not neighbouring countries, he noted that they had once been under the same colonial rule and had maintained close relations as countries in the SouthEast Asian peninsula. Myanmar and Malaysia are also partner countries that have cooperated closely for many years as members of ASEAN.
He said that the Myanmar government wished to further strengthen the bonds of friendship with Malaysia and enhance bilateral cooperation. He noted that Myanmar had an embassy in Kuala Lumpur, which was providing assistance to Myanmar nationals in Malaysia, and that the government was also placing special emphasis on further promoting bilateral relations.
He stated that Myanmar had successfully held a free and fair general election for its citizens between December 2025 and February 2026. He noted that elected parliamentary representatives had been regularly convening parliamentary sessions, with the third session currently underway, and that legislative matters and discussions aimed at promoting public interests were being actively carried out in accordance with democratic principles. He also said that Myanmar was firmly committed to strengthening the multiparty democratic system and building a Union based on democracy and federalism.
He recounted that the two countries had already signed agreements and memoranda of understanding in areas such as air transport, trade, economic cooperation, science and technology, culture, investment protection, avoidance of double taxation, and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. He added that, building on these existing agreements, they wished to continue exploring areas where practical cooperation between the two countries could be further expanded.
Regarding economic cooperation, he said that the total trade volume between the two countries exceeded US$1.6 billion last year. He noted that Malaysia ranked fourth among Myanmar’s trading partners and ninth among the 48 countries and regions investing in Myanmar. He said that the two countries wished to cooperate in organizing economic forums, B2B networking events, and knowledge-sharing programmes on business and trade, as well as conducting joint research and sharing experiences on helping micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) access international markets. He added that Myanmar also wished to participate in trade fairs held in Malaysia. He further expressed a desire to enhance cooperation in e-commerce and digital promotion platforms between the two countries. He said that Myanmar was prioritizing investment opportunities and inviting foreign investment to meet the requirements of national development and nation-building efforts, and invited Malaysian businesses to make greater investments in Myanmar.
At the economic discussion held yesterday, the President continued that the two sides discussed promoting trade and investment, cooperation in agriculture and value-added production, and investment opportunities in special economic zones (SEZs), micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and the financial sector. He said that, given Malaysia’s extensive experience in research, Myanmar wished to enhance cooperation in agricultural and livestock research.
He noted that Myanmar’s West Yangon Technological University and University of Information Technology had each signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with Malaysia’s Multimedia University and were carrying out cooperation in education and research.
He said that Myanmar and Malaysia could enhance economic cooperation in areas such as hospital and clinic services, pharmaceutical manufacturing, medical equipment, healthcare technology and skills development.
He explained that Myanmar had enacted the Anti-Online Scam Law on 31 July, enabling more effective prosecution, punishment, prevention and suppression of online fraud. He added that Myanmar was cooperating with neighbouring countries to prevent the operation of online scam and gambling businesses in the country by conducting clearance operations, systematically destroying confiscated items and dismantling illegal buildings in an orderly manner.
He said that Myanmar was also cooperating in efforts to combat human trafficking in the ASEAN region. Regarding the drug issue, he noted that Myanmar’s Central Committee for Drug Abuse Control (CCDAC) was exchanging information with Malaysia’s National Anti-Drugs Agency (NADA) and the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). He said that online scams, drug production and trafficking were mainly occurring in border areas where ethnic armed organizations were dominant and which were beyond the effective reach of the Myanmar government’s administration. As these are transnational crimes that have adverse impacts not only within Myanmar but also on countries across the region, he stressed that they could not be addressed by any single country alone. He said that the problems could only be resolved through information sharing among regional countries and enhanced cooperation and coordination among their law enforcement agencies.
He stated that, according to their records, more than 160,000 Myanmar migrant workers and their family members were living and working in Malaysia. He expressed a desire to work closely with the Malaysian government to ensure their workplace safety, access to their rights and protections, and improved social welfare and support. He added that they also wished to discuss measures to ensure that workers could enter Malaysia through legal and orderly channels, protect them from exploitation, facilitate visa and work permit procedures, and effectively implement the bilateral labour agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs). He emphasized that the contributions and efforts of Myanmar workers in Malaysia were important to the economies and friendship of both countries, and expressed appreciation for the assistance and care provided by the Malaysian government.
He underlined that the two countries are regional partner countries and are also members of regional and international organizations, including ASEAN and the United Nations. Regarding the five ASEAN statements, he said that Myanmar was making every possible effort to achieve the best possible outcomes based on the country’s domestic circumstances. In line with Myanmar’s foreign policy, the country would continue to engage with ASEAN based on the realities on the ground, while placing priority on safeguarding its national interests and sovereignty and pursuing a Myanmar-led, Myanmar-owned approach to further strengthening relations with ASEAN.
The Malaysian Prime Minister expressed his pleasure at the extensive and candid discussions held with the President aimed at enhancing cooperation between the two countries across various sectors. He had arranged for senior government officials to attend the meeting in order to promote investment and practical economic cooperation with Myanmar. He also expressed Malaysia’s desire to import from Myanmar the goods and commodities required by Malaysia.
He vowed that Malaysia should continue working to strengthen the bonds of friendship, interactions and cooperation between the two countries and their peoples, and that cooperation in all areas should be further enhanced. He described the President’s current visit as a successful one and expressed his appreciation to the President of Myanmar for taking the time to visit Malaysia. He added that Malaysia would continue to further strengthen the existing bonds of friendship between the two countries.
The two Heads of State exchanged views on the enhancement of bilateral friendship, relations and multi-sectoral cooperation.
Also present at the meeting were Union Ministers U Khin Maung Yi, U Tin Maung Swe, U Min Naung, U Myint Kyaing, U Maung Myint and U Tun Ohn, Rakhine State Chief Minister U Naing Oo, Ayeyawady Region Chief Minister U Aye Kyaw, senior Tatmadaw officers from the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, deputy ministers, Myanmar Ambassador to Malaysia U Aung Kyaw Moe, Myanmar Military Attaché (Army, Navy and Air) Brig-Gen Nyi Nyi Oo, and senior officers from the Malaysian government.
After the talks, President U Min Aung Hlaing and Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar bin Ibrahim met media from both countries and explained the relations and friendship between the two countries, economic cooperation and matters related to the official visit.
The two Heads of State cordially greeted officials from both countries and media personnel.
The President of Myanmar and the Malaysian Prime Minister left for the Prime Minister’s Residence by car.
MNA/TTA
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