Minister of Foreign Affairs Sameh Shoukry met with his Malaysian counterpart Seif Al-Din Abdullah on Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur as part of his ongoing Asian tour. At a press conference after the talks, Shoukry stressed the importance of his visit to Malaysia, as it represents a qualitative leap in bilateral relations on the political, economic, and cultural levels. He said that it was agreed to hold the second meeting of the Egyptian-Malaysian Joint Committee before November of this year to enhance the areas of cooperation between the two countries as well as develop a joint road map. The first meeting of the Joint Committee was held in Cairo, 2008. The FM also congratulated Malaysia on its outstanding achievement in the implementation of its national coronavirus vaccination programme, its move to reopen international borders on 1 April, and its election to the UN Human Rights Council for the 2022-2024 period. On his part, Abdullah said that meeting also tackled the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, with the two sides agreeing that continued efforts should be made to find a political solution to the issue through dialogue and peaceful negotiations. He stressed that it was agreed that efforts should be made to de-escalate and focus on humanitarian assistance. "We agree that unilateral sanctions can increase tension and have regional and global implications," Abdullah added. Earlier on Tuesday, Shoukry — the President-designate of the 27th Session of the Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 27) — also met with Malaysian Minister of Environment and Water Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Min. The meeting dealt with the exchange of views on the most important issues on the agenda of the COP 27 and means of enhancing coordination between the two countries in the lead-up to the conference, said Ahmed Hafez — the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this context, the two sides discussed adapting to climate change and the provision of climate finance for developing countries. Furthermore, they touched on efforts to reduce emissions as well as increasing countries' nationally determined contributions, according to the Paris Agreement. Shoukry also met with Malaysian Minister of Defence Hishammuddin Hussein to discuss bilateral cooperation and ways to advance military relations towards broader horizons.
