KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia and Russia explored ways to enhance cooperation during a bilateral meeting between Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Malaysia's capital on Thursday (July 10).
As Mohamad and Lavrov met on the sidelines of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM), they discussed enhancing ties in technical fields and other areas of mutual interest.
Mohamad conveyed Malaysia's interest in increasing enrolment for Malaysian students, particularly in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes in Russia.
"I expressed Malaysia's interest in securing more placements for our students, and Russia has agreed," he told reporters after the bilateral meeting.
The bilateral meeting also touched on broader regional cooperation, including Russia's potential signing of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ).
"Russia is considering signing the SEANWFZ treaty with Asean, and the documentation will be negotiated at the official level," said Mohamad.
Lavrov was in the Malaysian capital to take part in the Asean Post-Ministerial Conference with Russia, the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting, and the 32nd Asean Regional Forum (ARF).
Russian news agency TASS reported that Lavrov and Mohamad discussed bilateral cooperation and the prospects for a strategic partnership between Moscow and Asean.
The report, citing a Russian Foreign Ministry statement, said special attention was paid to regional challenges and the prospects for promoting strategic partnership between Russia and Asean, with Malaysia holding the current chairmanship.
The ongoing 58th AMM and related meetings are being held under Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship for 2025, with the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”.
Russia established relations with Asean in 1991 and became its full-fledged dialogue partner in 1996. In 2018, the relationship was elevated to a Strategic Partnership.
Lavrov, when met by waiting journalists after attending the Asean Post-Ministerial Conference with Russia, said: "It was a nice meeting." – Bernama
