Anwar, South Korea's President Lee agree to strengthen ties, aim for Malaysia-Korea free trade deal this year
Anwar said the relationship between the two nations, which was elevated to a strategic partnership during his visit to Seoul in November last year, will continue to be comprehensively advanced across several areas, including peace and security, defence, economy, education and tourism, as well as regional and global cooperation.
'South Korea is Malaysia's eighth-largest trading partner, with trade exceeding US$20 billion (US$1 = RM4.29) for three consecutive years. I expressed Malaysia's commitment to concluding the Malaysia-Korea Free Trade Agreement (MKFTA) negotiations this year,' he said in a post on the X platform yesterday.
Anwar, who contacted Lee this morning, also took the opportunity to congratulate him and the Democratic Party on their victory in the recent presidential election.
'I conveyed my confidence in his leadership to steer (South) Korea into this new phase,' he said.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, said that towards the end of the conversation, he invited Lee to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN–South Korea Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
'Insya-Allah, I will also be in Gyeongju (South Korea) this November for the APEC Summit, and I look forward to welcoming him to Malaysia before that,' he added. — Bernama
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