KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia hopes that Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi will help boost diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries. In a statement issued by the Malaysian foreign affairs ministry, the Prime Minister Najib Razak expressed his confidence that under Morsi's “able leadership” the transformation process towards democracy in Egypt would make “significant” progress. “Datuk Seri Najib is optimistic that with the president's dynamism, Egypt will continue to play its important role in the international scene for the betterment of the Muslim ummah and people of the world,” said the statement. Morsi was officially sworn in as Egypt's first democratically elected president on Saturday and the military, which had been ruling the country since former dictator Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February 2011, officially transferred power to the new president. Razak also stated that he looked forward to working closely with Morsi to explore new potential areas of cooperation, in addition to further strengthening the existing close and brotherly relations between Malaysia and Egypt. Malaysia has been seen as a potential example for Egypt to follow in its rebuilding of economy and boosting development in the country. As an Islamic country, Malaysia believes that it can offer Egypt advice on how to proceed with its transition and development of basic infrastructure.
