Visits to Italy, France and Brazil achieved key objectives, says PM Anwar
Besides reinforcing bilateral ties, he said the visits also contributed to efforts to attract investments and boost Malaysia's trade relations.
Speaking at a press conference at the conclusion of the three-nation visit which began in Italy on July 1, he said it also raised Malaysia's visibility in its capacity as Asean Chair for 2025.
He underscored that the mission opened up wider networks for Malaysian companies to expand internationally.
The visit to Italy alone generated over RM8bil in potential investments, while the engagements in France brought in RM4bil.
Anwar was accompanied by five Cabinet ministers - Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir was also part of the delegation.
The Prime Minister was also joined by a business delegation comprising representatives from leading Malaysian corporates and innovative enterprises, including Petronas, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), Maybank, FGV, YTL Power and Sunway.
Anwar's inaugural official visit to Italy came at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, aimed at deepening bilateral relations across a broad range of sectors.
While investment and trade were key priorities, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said the trip also provided an opportunity to address geopolitical issues.
Anwar stressed that Malaysia's firm stance on humanitarian issues in the Middle East was conveyed clearly, especially on the situation in Gaza and attacks on Iran.
He noted that Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva were aligned in their calls to end the violence in Gaza, which has reportedly claimed some 56,000 lives.
"Macron has already issued his statement. As for Meloni, she agreed on the need to stop the attacks. She specifically mentioned Israeli aggression and supports peace efforts and the two-state solution, meaning she recognises Palestine as a state," said Anwar.
Responding to claims that the visits benefited European nations more - particularly in relation to aircraft purchases - Anwar said the deals would yield long-term benefits for Malaysia.
"These aircraft orders were made by airlines, including AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines, but the government also wants the country to benefit," he explained.
Malaysia, he said, is seeking to position itself as a hub for aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus and Embraer, particularly in areas like maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), training, and supply chain activities.
In Brazil, during the 17th BRICS Leaders' Summit, Malaysia drew attention when Anwar was invited to speak at the BRICS Business Forum attended by the Brazilian President.
"The forum was opened with a keynote session by the President. Malaysia was given priority even though we are not a full member (of BRICS)," Anwar said.
He said that he used the opportunity to stress the need for justice between developed and developing nations, and to raise concerns over the governance of artificial intelligence technologies.
The visit to Brazil also allowed Anwar to meet with several world leaders and heads of international organisations.
In Rio de Janeiro, the second biggest city in Brazil, the Prime Minister held discussions with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and three counterparts namely Narendra Modi (India), Pham Minh Chinh (Vietnam), and Mostafa Madbouly (Egypt).
Following a meeting with New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff, Anwar said Malaysia's potential membership in the bank would be considered after a detailed assessment by Bank Negara Malaysia.
He added that several Malaysian companies, including Petronas and Yinson Production, have already made inroads into the Brazilian market. - Bernama
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Libya's eastern-based government bars entry of EU migration commissioner, three ministers
FILE PHOTO: Magnus Brunner, the nominee to become the European Union's commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, faces a confirmation hearing before a European Parliament committee, in Brussels, Belgium November 5, 2024. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo TRIPOLI (Reuters) -The European Union migration commissioner and ministers from Italy, Malta and Greece were denied entry to the eastern part of divided Libya on Tuesday as they had disregarded "Libyan national sovereignty", the Benghazi-based government said. The delegation had arrived to attend a meeting with the parallel government of Osama Hamad, allied to military commander Khalifa Haftar who controls the east and large areas of southern Libya, shortly after a meeting with the rival, internationally recognised government that controls the west of Libya. The delegation included EU Internal Affairs and Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner, Greek Migration and Asylum minister Thanos Plevris, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. The Benghazi-based government said the visit was cancelled upon the delegation's arrival at Benghazi airport whereupon the ministers were declared persona non grata and told to leave Libyan territory immediately. Members of the European delegation did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. The Hamad government had said on Monday all foreign visitors and diplomatic missions should not come to Libya and move inside the country without its prior permission. Earlier in the day the EU delegation had met in Tripoli with the U.N.-recognised government of Abdulhamid Dbiebah to discuss the migration crisis before flying to Benghazi. Libya has become a transit route for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the Mediterranean since the fall in 2011 of dictator Muammar Gaddafi to a NATO-backed uprising. Factional conflict has split the country since 2014. Dbeibah said during the meeting he had tasked his interior ministry with developing a national plan to tackle migration "based on practical cooperation with partners and reflecting a clear political will to build sustainable solutions". (Reporting and writing by Ahmed Elumami with additional reporting by Ayman Werfali in Benghazi; editing by Alexander Dziadosz and Mark Heinrich)
New Straits Times
4 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Anwar lays out vision for more equitable world
IN Rio de Janeiro this week, the city welcomed leaders for the BRICS Summit. A fresh voice entered the conversation: Malaysia, a newly engaged BRICS partner country and current chair of Asean. Moments after touching down, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was ushered on stage alongside President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to open the BRICS Business Forum. The prime minister delivered an address that was personal and relatable and uplifting. At the core of his speech was a simple truth: the developing world can no longer be seen as peripheral players in a system built elsewhere. We are not relics of post-colonial history. We are rising powers in our own right, armed with moral capital, technological capacity and economic ambition. Anwar did not merely speak for Malaysia and Asean. He articulated for the Global South its pursuit of a more equitable, responsive and plural future. There was particular praise for President Lula, whose principled leadership has steered BRICS beyond rhetoric into something more consequential: a coalition with real potential to influence global structures. Today's BRICS, Anwar noted, is not just a forum of statesmen. It includes the voices of the private sector, youth, women and civil society. That gives it a level of resilience, inclusivity and legitimacy that Bretton Woods institutions do not have, weighed down by their hierarchical and opaque structures. Anwar's message marked clarity of purpose: Malaysia, and the Global South too, want to engage all, defer to none, and recast the architecture of global cooperation frameworks from the prism of developing nations. As chair of Asean, Malaysia brings a regional mandate grounded in multilateralism, economic openness and collective agency. Anwar addressed Asean's drive to strengthen intra-regional trade and investment, deepen financial integration and promote local currencies for cross-border transactions, towards a more stable, diversified and less dollar-dependent system. Building on this vision, the BRICS private sector could push innovative frameworks in finance, via green sukuk, climate-aligned instruments and sustainability-linked vehicles, as levers for systemic transformation. In his interventions at the Leaders' Summit, Anwar made a strong case for closer BRICS-Asean ties. Both reflect the ambitions of the Global South, not to disrupt global order, but to rebalance it. As economic bifurcation deepens and supply chains collapse, this dialogue helps to rebuild connectivity, fortify inter-regional trade and investment, and enhance collaboration in the sectors that matter. Anwar called for nothing less than reform of the major postwar institutions, such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, in order to reflect the 21st-century world. The existing multilateral architecture is fraying, not for lack of ideals, but in terms of responsiveness and the failure to evolve. On the notion that Malaysia's partnership with BRICS is demonstrative of a geo-economic deflection from the West, particularly the United States, Anwar made it unequivocally clear that the US remains Malaysia's top source of foreign direct investment. In terms of trade, the United States continues to be Malaysia's third-largest partner, a position it has held since 2015. Thus, any suggestion of a shift, strategic or otherwise, is groundless. That said, BRICS represents not a counterweight, but a counterproposal deeply rooted in inclusion, equity and shared sovereignty. It embodies a vision of balanced multilateralism that is networked, adaptive and genuinely plural. Make no mistake: what we saw in Rio was not a symbolic appearance. It was Malaysia stepping into a new role as bridge-builder, regional convenor and vocal proponent of a more equitable global economy. That momentum continues in October, when Malaysia hosts the Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur that Lula has pledged to attend — a testament to the growing stature of this partnership. The path forward is clear: not a retreat from the multilateral order, but its reform. Not a rejection of global engagement, but its redistribution. Not a rivalry of blocs, but a realignment of priorities.
![[Watch] Durian Dreams Turn Sour: Malaysian Fruit Vendor Reports RM5,000 Loss In Challenging Market](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.therakyatpost.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F07%2FUntitled20-1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
![[Watch] Durian Dreams Turn Sour: Malaysian Fruit Vendor Reports RM5,000 Loss In Challenging Market](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fall-logos-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ftherakyatpost.com.png&w=48&q=75){kind=small}
Rakyat Post
4 hours ago
- Rakyat Post
[Watch] Durian Dreams Turn Sour: Malaysian Fruit Vendor Reports RM5,000 Loss In Challenging Market
Subscribe to our FREE A Malaysian durian vendor's Facebook post has shed light on the financial pressures facing fruit retailers, as she detailed losing RM5,000 in what she describes as an increasingly difficult market. 'Selling durians until I'm exhausted, still can't recover RM5,000 in costs,' the vendor posted, sharing her experience of the current durian trade conditions. The vendor provided a detailed cost breakdown for Grade A durians to illustrate her situation: Purchase price: RM20 per kilogram Daily water loss: 10-20% weight reduction (she calculated minimum RM2 loss per kg) Staff costs: RM3 per kilogram Transport and fuel: RM1 per kilogram Total cost: RM25 per kilogram According to her account, the market selling price also sits at RM25 per kilogram, leaving no profit margin. 'Cost RM25, sell RM25. When durians go bad, I have to compensate myself – these orchard owners and wholesalers don't pay for damages,' she wrote, describing the financial responsibility that falls on retailers. The Middleman Problem Exposed In her most recent post, the vendor directly confronted what she sees as the root of retailers' struggles—exploitative middleman practices. 'Middlemen, you're making too much money from water weight,' she posted, revealing that wholesalers are adding up to RM6 per kilogram in charges related to weight loss during transport and storage, while simultaneously supplying substandard, watery durians to retailers. 'Middlemen make the most money, and they don't offer return guarantees. They're the ones profiting the most,' she wrote, highlighting how the supply chain structure leaves retailers vulnerable to losses while middlemen secure their profits. The vendor also criticised the fruit selection skills of her suppliers: 'This middleman is quite stupid at picking fruit,' she added, expressing frustration at receiving poor quality durians despite paying premium wholesale prices. The Perishability Challenge The vendor emphasised the time-sensitive nature of durian sales, explaining that the fruit must be sold within a day to maintain its freshness and appeal to customers. She also described the exacting quality standards that buyers expect. 'Some customers want compensation if the durian is slightly wet, and also want compensation if it's too dry,' she posted, outlining the narrow quality parameters she must meet—standards that become nearly impossible to achieve when receiving subpar fruit from suppliers. In 'This isn't selling cheap – this is market reality,' she explained in the video. The vendor attributed some challenges to what she sees as inconsistent fruit selection by suppliers: 'These wholesalers need to learn how to properly select fruit! They know how to make money but don't know how to pick good durians!' Industry Comparison Reflecting on market changes, the vendor noted: 'The market situation isn't like it was 10 years ago.' She mentioned that while some vendors might misrepresent fruit grades for profit, she maintains she deals in genuine Grade A products, though the quality she receives from wholesalers often doesn't match the premium prices she pays. The vendor concluded her posts by stating: 'Now I can only try to protect my costs. Making big money has become an unreachable dream.' Her candid account offers insight into the operational challenges faced by durian retailers in the current market environment, highlighting the narrow margins and financial risks associated with selling perishable, premium fruit. While her experience represents one vendor's perspective, it illuminates broader issues within Malaysia's durian supply chain, where the structure appears to systematically favour middlemen while leaving retailers struggling to break even despite handling a fruit that commands premium prices from consumers. The case underscores how agricultural supply chains can create situations where those closest to the final consumer—and bearing the most significant operational risks—may paradoxically be the least profitable participants in the trade. Share your thoughts with us via TRP's . Get more stories like this to your inbox by signing up for our newsletter.
