Pakistan, Malaysia sign six major accords to boost bilateral cooperation

Pakistan and Malaysia signed on Monday six accords worth millions of dollars to strengthen bilateral cooperation in education, halal certification, tourism, small business, and combating corruption.

The pre-signed documents were exchanged at a ceremony held at the Perdana Putra Complex, the Office of the Malaysian Prime Minister, during the three-day official visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Malaysia at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart, Anwar Ibrahim.

Both leaders witnessed the signing ceremony held after their meeting and delegation-level talks.

Pakistan and Malaysia signed a memorandum of understanding on the exchange of notes between the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations (IDFR) and the Foreign Service Academy of Pakistan for cooperation in the field of diplomatic training.

The documents were exchanged by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Malaysian Foreign Minister Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan.

An MoU was also signed between the governments of Malaysia and Pakistan for cooperation in higher education.

Malaysian Minister of Tourism Tiong King Sing and Pakistan’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar exchanged documents for an MoU on cooperation in the field of tourism.

The two sides also signed an MoU on halal certification.

Both countries inked another MoU to expand cooperation in combating and preventing corruption.

A sixth accord aimed to enhance cooperation between Pakistan’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) and Malaysia’s Small and Medium Enterprises Corporation. The documents were exchanged by SME Corporation Malaysia CEO Rizal bin Dato’ Nainy and Pakistan’s Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, Syed Tariq Fatemi.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a post on X that he had a “most productive exchange of views” with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya.

“We held wide-ranging discussions on ways to further strengthen our historic partnership, focusing on trade and investment, climate, defense, education, and tourism,” he said.

Sharif said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s announcement for the import of halal meat worth USD 200 million was “a welcome step that will further augment our engagement in this promising sector.”

The two leaders also launched the Urdu translation of Ibrahim’s book SCRIPT, which stands for Sustainability, Care & Compassion, Respect, Innovation, Prosperity, and Trust.

Both leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including the situation in the Middle East and South Asia, and reaffirmed their commitment to work together for peace, progress, and prosperity.

“Looking forward to continued Pakistan–Malaysia collaboration across all areas of mutual interest,” Sharif added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on an official visit. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi accompanied him.