Malaysia vows continuing support for Mindanao peace, aid to Bangsamoro
Anwar, who is in town for a two-day official visit, made the commitment at a bilateral meeting with Philippines President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. at Malacañang Palace.
“Now on the peace process in Mindanao, I must express again my profound thanks and gratitude. This has been a century-long contentious issue that invariably affects the region and in particular Malaysia too,” Anwar said in a short speech after the bilateral meeting.
“Under your leadership, we have seen great strides in this direction, and I think it’s only our duty as a good neighbor to support and facilitate the process,” Anwar added.
He also said he “stands guided with everything that needs to be done at the multilateral level” to support peace in Mindanao.
The Malaysian leader also assured his country’s continued assistance to residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) through capacity-building programs and Malaysia’s technical cooperation.
Marcos said the Philippines recognizes the “great contribution” that Malaysia has made to peace in Mindanao.
“We hope that this support that they have shown over the past few years will continue and will continue to contribute to the success of the peace process and the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (BAR),” he said.
The peace agreement between the Philippine government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) called for the transition of BARMM to BAR.
Marcos also said that as immediate neighbors, the Philippines and Malaysia recognize the importance of sustaining peace and security in the region.
“As such, we agreed to continue our cooperation on political and security matters, rekindling the joint commission meetings and joint initiatives to combat transnational crime and terrorism,” he said.
Manila and Kuala Lumpur’s shared historic roots are deep, Marcos said.
“As such, we spoke of further deepening our people-to-people ties through continued cultural exchanges and tourism,” Marcos said.
Anwar also committed to support and enhance cooperation with the Brunei Darussalam –Indonesia– Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) and the hosting of the Brunei- Indonesia- Malaysia-Philippines Facilitation Center.
The Malaysian leader also shared Marcos concerns over tension in the West Philippine Sea, citing the need for a “multilateral level” approach.
“Due to the complexity and sensitivity of the issue, we should try and engage and take the position at a multilateral level between ASEAN so that we have a comprehensive approach and achieve an amicable resolution to this outstanding problem,” the Malaysian prime minister said.
