Islamabad, 15 March 2022 (TDI): Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke to his Malaysian counterpart, Dato’ Sri Saifuddin Abdullah, over the phone. The two Foreign Ministers discussed a wide variety of subjects of mutual concern. Those included bilateral relations in the areas of politics, commerce, and economics, as well as multilateral cooperation.
The Ministers underlined their determination to strengthen the connection and recognize the long history of close cooperation between their countries.
Diplomatic ties between Pakistan and Malaysia were established in 1957. Although there have been hurdles and ups and downs in the relationship between the two countries, the majority of them had only stemmed from misunderstandings.
However, after relations became normal, Pakistan became a supporter of Malaysia’s Federation. In this context, it also refused to accept Brunei’s exclusion and Singapore’s withdrawal from the Malaysian Federation. Pakistan only established relations with both nations after Malaysia had done so.
On October 2, 2005, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi assured Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz that Malaysia will back Pakistan’s bid to join ASEAN as a full dialogue partner.
The relationship between Pakistan and Malaysia has evolved into a strategic partnership. Over time, the ties between the two countries have become stronger. The shared view of Islamabad and Kaula Lampur on issues confronting the Muslim Ummah is crucial.
While Malaysia and Pakistan have had friendly diplomatic relations in the past, Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Malaysian counterpart, Mahathir Mohammad, have worked to strengthen ties between the two countries.
In March 2019, Mohammad was honored as the Guest-of-Honour at the Pakistan Day celebrations in Islamabad. He was awarded Nishan-e-Pakistan at the event which is Pakistan’s highest civilian award.
The two Foreign Ministers agreed to maintain the positive momentum in political relations by strengthening mutually beneficial trade and economic relationships, extending cultural linkages, promoting tourism, and encouraging people-to-people encounters. They also agreed to continue working together on bilateral and multilateral areas of mutual interest.
