by Joseph Masilamany

During the official visit of the Malaysian prime minister, the two countries rebooted their historic economic, technological and cultural cooperation. Malaysia remains non-aligned in global power politics. Anwar said he raised the issue of flight MH17 shot down in 2014, after a UN body recently blamed Russia for the incident.

Kuala Lumpur (AsiaNews) – Russian President Vladimir Putin described Malaysia as a “reliable and significant” partner, both regionally and globally, during talks with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Moscow today.

Speaking at the Kremlin, Putin welcomed Anwar and praised longstanding ties between the two nations, saying: “Malaysia is our long-standing, very reliable and significant partner, both in general and in Southeast Asia.”

The Russian leader also asked Anwar to extend an invitation to the Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar to visit Russia. “I have a big favour to ask. Please convey my best wishes to the head of state, Sultan Ibrahim,” Putin said, as reported by Russian news agency TASS. “We are waiting for him to visit Russia.”

Malaysia is a federal elective monarchy, with its king selected for a five-year term by and from among the nine hereditary rulers of the Malaysian states. Sultan Ibrahim of Johor ascended as head of state in 2024.

Anwar, who arrived in the Russian capital on Tuesday for an official visit, called Russia a “great friend” of Malaysia and expressed hope that the two countries would deepen their cooperation in the coming days.

Putin noted that while bilateral trade had dipped slightly last year, economic relations remained stable. “The Intergovernmental Commission should pay attention to this, look for reasons and do everything to return to a positive trend,” he said.

The meeting comes as Malaysia continues to pursue a non-aligned foreign policy, maintaining relations with a broad range of global powers amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

Earlier in the day, Anwar also held talks with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening ties in strategic sectors, including trade, investment, higher education, health, energy, agriculture, tourism, and scientific and cultural exchanges.

Anwar said Malaysia was keen to boost exports of high-value products such as medical devices and solar panels, while also encouraging Russian investment in high-tech industries like aerospace, the digital economy, energy, and agrotechnology.

He also said Malaysia welcomed the resumption of direct Aeroflot flights to enhance people-to-people connectivity and extended an invitation for Mishustin to visit Malaysia with a government and business delegation. 

The Embassy of Malaysia in Russia was established in the late 1960s after Malaysia and the then Soviet Union concluded a Trade Agreement on 3 April 1967, which established diplomatic relations between both nations.

Putin visited Malaysia twice in 2003 – one as an official visit in August and to attend the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in October the same year.

Malaysia's key exports to Russia include electrical and electronic products, machinery, equipment and parts, and processed foods. Imports from Russia primarily comprise petroleum products, minerals, and chemical and chemical-based products.

Bilateral trade reached about US$ 3.5 billion as of September 2024. A treaty to eliminate double taxation was also signed around the same time, further encouraging bilateral investments.

A day before Anwar's visit began, the UN's Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found that Russia was responsible for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed while flying over Ukraine's Donetsk region on 17 July 2014.

All 298 people on board died when the plane was shot down. Before the UN body released its conclusions, there were strong indications suggesting Moscow's involvement.

Yesterday Anwar said he had raised the issue with Putin. “For sure, as a representative of the Malaysian people, particularly the families of the victims, I took the opportunity to raise the issue with President Vladimir Putin during our bilateral discussions,” he said at the press conference.

In 2020, Russia was also accused of interfering with an international investigation into the incident, following which two Russian agents and a Ukrainian separatist leader were convicted in absentia.

• malaysia
• russia
• anwar
• putin
• visit
• bilateral relations
• non-alignment
• flight mh17