Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said Malaysia has agreed to provide a USD 100 million financing facility to the Maldives, with work under way towards signing an agreement between the central banks of the two countries.
Prime Minister Anwar announced the development in a joint statement by the leaders of the two countries during his official visit to the Maldives. He thanked the Maldives for the warm welcome extended to him and said that, although the visit was brief, the excellent arrangements reflected the friendship and brotherly ties between the two countries.
Prime Minister Anwar said relations between the Maldives and Malaysia are built on trust and respect. He said the two sides had discussed establishing a high-level commission to strengthen relations and expressed hope that the commission would be formed soon, with its first meeting to take place in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, before the end of this year.
Highlighting some of the key issues discussed by the two countries, Prime Minister Anwar said discussions were progressing on a USD 100 million financing facility between its central banks. He confirmed that Malaysia had agreed to provide the facility.
"We discussed some very important matters. Among the matters proposed by the Maldives, we discussed a USD 100 million financing facility from our central bank. We have agreed to this. However, the central banks of the two countries must decide as soon as possible how to proceed with the matter. We can do this in a spirit of trust and friendship," Prime Minister Anwar said.
The discussions also covered other priority areas for both countries, including education and health. Prime Minister Anwar gave assurances that administrative difficulties in these sectors would be addressed and that arrangements would be made as soon as possible to ease difficulties faced by Maldivian students living in Malaysia and Maldivians travelling to the country for medical treatment.
Prime Minister Anwar also praised President Dr Mohamed Muizzu's policy on Palestine. Noting that the Maldives and Malaysia hold closely aligned positions on foreign affairs, he highlighted President Dr Muizzu's efforts on the international stage in support of the rights of the Palestinian people.
"Innocent people are being martyred in Gaza every day. This is being done by those who advocate for human rights. I therefore greatly appreciate the position taken by the Maldivian Government and President Dr Mohamed Muizzu. We will continue to work very closely together. We all oppose the annexation of land, yet few speak out when Israel does so. I am grateful to President Dr Muizzu for speaking clearly on these issues," Prime Minister Anwar said.
The two countries also discussed cooperation in efforts to address climate change. Prime Minister Anwar said work could also proceed through Malaysia's Petronas to explore whether oil is present in the Maldives.
He further assured that difficulties faced by the embassy would be addressed and, more broadly, that Malaysia would support the matters requested by the Maldives.