KUALA LUMPUR: At least five or six countries have requested Malaysia to house an Asean space agency, the Senate was told yesterday.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said the countries also wanted Malaysia to be the satellite launch centre even though the establishment of Asean space agency is still in the planning stage.
“We (the government) have not yet chosen the state or the place (where the space agency will be built) but we will discuss it with the relevant ministries and agencies before it is brought to the Cabinet to decide,” he said in reply to Senator Datuk Lim Pay Hen during Question Time at the Dewan Negara.
Lim wanted to know whether the government would consider establishing the Asean space agency, which was discussed at the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition last year, when it takes over the Asean chairmanship in 2025.
To a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Dr Arman Azha Abu Hanifah on whether the presence of Asean countries in BRICS would also be discussed during the Asean Summit next year, Mohamad said it depends on the member countries.
The minister, however, did not deny that BRICS is the best platform for Malaysia to speak out, considering that the population and gross domestic product value of its member countries are greater than Asean, Bernama reported.
BRICS was established in 2009 as a cooperation platform for emerging economies, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
