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TOKYO – Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said a special Asean-Japan summit would be held to discuss in-depth regional and international issues.
Ismail Sabri said he had suggested the summit to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in their meeting in Tokyo yesterday, and he also proposed that Japan should engage not only with Malaysia but Asean as well, with Kishida agreeing to hold it next year.
“Asean usually has its own stand, not of individual countries,” he told Malaysian journalists in Tokyo today, at the end of his official working visit to Japan.
Ismail Sabri said he also told Kishida that Malaysia would not compromise regarding any threats to its sovereignty in the South China Sea.
In handling the complex issue of the South China Sea, which involves interstate relations, all related countries must remain committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in the area, he said.
He said the actions taken by Malaysia when there was an issue of encroachment in its waters in the area was in the form of protests and negotiations with the parties involved.
“When there is a related issue, we resolve it via dialogue,” he said.
On the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ismail Sabri said he informed Kishida that Malaysia did not support any violation of fundamental principles, such as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each country, as well as international law.
He said Malaysia was also concerned about the impact of the conflict, including the adverse experiences of countries not directly involved in it, such as regarding the issue of food security. – Bernama, May 28, 2022