KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Prime Minister Najib Razak on Wednesday praised the strength of the country's relationship with the United States, saying it was founded on “mutual respect” and acceptance of the cultural and religious differences between the two. The PM said on his official Facebook page that both countries were looking for ways to push forward on a number of “common objectives.” His statement came as two US Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman visited the country last month as part of a diplomatic building mission with the Islamic country. Razak said he believed the two governments and their people could continue to see fruitful relations in the coming years, economically, politically and socially. McCain and Lieberman both gave Malaysia glowing reviews, praising the transformation of Malaysia's economic, political and social climate. “This is something we should all be proud of – it has required our collective efforts, and this hard work has clearly caught the eyes of our friends abroad,” Razak said. The prime minister said the senators' visit was also an indication of the “positive bilateral relations Malaysia has built with the US, a “relationship bound by common values and shared strategic interests. “Economically, the U.S. is one of Malaysia's largest trading partners, with trade amounting to RM127 billion a year. “We have more than 600 US companies operating in Malaysia, with many more interested in investing this year. “And knowledge is continually shared between our countries – a fact recently demonstrated by the introduction of educational reforms inspired by the US that are helping us to solve school dropout rates,” he said.
