BAKU: Malaysia is committed to supporting Palestine’s reconstruction, particularly in the area of digital infrastructure, and to sharing its telecommunications experience with South Africa.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the matter was discussed in a meeting with Palestinian Deputy Telecommunications and Digital Economy Minister Huda Al-Wahidi and South African Deputy Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele, here.
He said among the issues raised with Huda were connectivity challenges in Palestine, particularly in Gaza, adding that he also conveyed Malaysia’s readiness to explore several mechanisms to assist the country.
“I will discuss the findings with the prime minister and Wisma Putra (the Foreign Ministry) to ensure that the support we provide is not limited to technical assistance,” he said after the meeting held on the sidelines of the World Telecommunication Development Conference 2025.
Fahmi added that Palestine would table a special motion at the International Telecommunication Union on redefining connectivity, and Malaysia would consider the type of support it would provide for the motion.
“He said they (Palestine) feel there is a need to redefine connectivity as a humanitarian aspect that should not be targeted by any party in a conflict,” he said.
Fahmi also informed them of the government’s intention to provide scholarships for five Palestinians to study in the fields of network and radio engineering in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, during the meeting with Gungubele, he said they spoke about South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s state visit to Malaysia for the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits last month, as well as potential cooperation in the telecommunications sector.
“There are initiatives that have been successfully implemented in Malaysia that could be shared with our counterparts in South Africa.
“They were impressed not only with Malaysia’s ability to roll out the 5G network, but also with its provision of very affordable Internet,” he added.
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