(From fourth left) Valdai Discussion Club member of Foundation for Development and Support Oleg Tsatsourine receiving a token of appreciation from MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong. With them were are (from left) Bait Al-Amanah research director Benedict Weerasena, Insap chairman Datuk Dr Pamela Yong, Sasakawa Peace Foundation's senior fellow of the Security Study Group Taisuke Abiru and MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon. - AZLINA BT ABDULLAH/The Star
KNOWING the language is crucial for understanding a country, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
In speaking about Malaysia-Russia ties, he emphasised the need for more intellectual and cultural exchange to breach the language barrier.
"Under the Look-East Policy, many Malaysians were sent to Japan and we were able to understand each other through exchanges in various fields.
"Similar opportunities of exchange with Russia are also needed. It is not easy to learn the Russian language, but we must start somewhere.
"Throughout the past decade, many Malaysians have studied in Russia and did very well.
"With some basic understanding of the Russian culture and system, they could become agents to promote Malaysia-Russia friendship," he said during a meeting between representatives from MCA, Valdai Discussion Club, Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap), Bait Al-Amanah and Sasakawa Peace Foundation at Wisma MCA in conjunction with the 15th Asian Conference 2024 of the Valdai Discussion Club.
The two-day conference which ended at a Kuala Lumpur hotel on Monday (Dec 9) was themed "Malaysia, Russia and Asean: Navigating Emerging Multipolarity”.
Praising the conference's outcome, Dr Wee called on the organisers to bring the takeaways back to their home countries and advocate for peace and resilience in the region.
"For Malaysia and Russia, we need to work together to deepen our trade ties and foster stronger collaborations in both our private and public sectors.
"MCA will continue mobilising its resources, including think tanks and universities, to look deeper into this matter," he added.
Also present at the meeting were MCA secretary-general Datuk Chong Sin Woon, Insap chairman Datuk Dr Pamela Yong, Valdai Discussion Club member of Foundation for Development and Support Oleg Tsatsourine, Sasakawa Peace Foundation's senior fellow of the Security Study Group Taisuke Abiru and Bait Al-Amanah research director Benedict Weerasena.
