PETALING JAYA: Port Dickson MP and Prime Minister-in-waiting Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has met with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and discussed cooperation between Malaysia and the Philippines.
When a Twitter user pointed out that such talks should fall under the purview of Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu and asked whether he was instructed to do so by Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar, who is the PKR president, said he was on holiday there when he received an invitation from Duterte.
“During a family vacation, I was invited to the Malacanang Palace, Manila, and met Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. We discussed initiatives to improve cooperation in terms of economy and security between Malaysia and the Philippines,” Anwar tweeted on Thursday night.
In July, President Rodrigo Duterte paid a courtesy call to Dr Mahathir in Putrajaya, with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) describing the relationship between the two countries as being “at its best level”.
Dr Mahathir and President Rodrigo Duterte “expressed their fulfillment” of the excellent current state of bilateral relations.
The PMO added that Malaysia had also expressed its support for peace and development in Mindanao in the southern Philippines.
