KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim extended his condolences to Thailand over the passing of Queen Mother Sirikit.
In his opening remarks at the plenary session of the 47th Asean Summit, Anwar also expressed his appreciation to Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul for travelling to Malaysia for the Summit and the signing of the Thai-Cambodia peace plan.
“On behalf of my colleagues, I would like to express our deepest condolences on behalf of the Asean family on the passing of Queen Sirikit, the Queen Mother of Thailand,” said Anwar, who is the Asean chair.
“Special thanks to Prime Minister Anutin for taking the time to come here, leave, and return tonight. Only a young man can do that,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar also welcomed Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao to his first full-fledged Asean Summit.
Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean this year comes at a defining moment as the region faces mounting challenges, geopolitical uncertainty, and growing geoeconomic fragmentation, he said.
Anwar added that Asean had upgraded the Asean Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA), describing it as a decisive step forward.
“The signing of the Asean-China Free Trade Area 3.0 on Oct 28 will mark a new chapter in our partnership.
“Beyond the Asean Plus One framework, we are accelerating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world’s largest free trade pact,” he said.
Anwar added that Malaysia would host the 5th RCEP Leaders’ Summit tomorrow to give fresh momentum to its implementation.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
