Russia – Malaysia

Organizers: Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in Malaysia, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation.

Time: May 18, 2023, 15:40–17:00

Venue: Halls 3–4, International Exhibition Centre Kazan Expo, Kazan

Moderator: Daniyar Akkaziev, Executive Director of the Russia-ASEAN Business Council

Invited speakers:

Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation;

Mohamad Sabu, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia;

Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Minister of Higher Education of Malaysia;

Airat Gatiyatov, Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation;

Nail Latypov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Malaysia;

Azman Mohd Yusof, Secretary General of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living of Malaysia;

Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, Head of Shadow Cabinet in the Parliament of Malaysia;

William Ng, Chairperson of the Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia;

Sirajuddin Suhaimi, Deputy General Director of the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia;

Sani Araby, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Advisory Council of Islamic Organizations;

Mohammed Abdul Khalid, former economic adviser to Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Malaysia is among Russia’s most important partners in Southeast Asia. Recent years have been marked by the consistent promotion of Russian-Malaysian ties, the expansion and deepening of fruitful cooperation, as well as security, stability and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Russia and Malaysia have a great potential for the expansion of trade and business cooperation which is evidenced by the positive trend in bilateral trade. “The trade turnover between our countries increased by 23.8% in 2021 and by 12.1% in 2022,” said Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. “Russia has a significant potential to increase the import of energy commodities, mixed fertilizers, metals, food, pharmaceuticals to Malaysia.”

The strengthening of joint investing, specifically in such fields as agriculture, aerospace industry and halal products, was also named as the key area of regional cooperation between Russia and Malaysia.

Matters of scientific and technical cooperation were raised; initiatives were put forward to establish joint research groups and funds for their sponsorship support. The round table participants also discussed the strengthening of cooperation in the spheres of education and professional training, as well as solutions to overcome current problems in tourism related to post-COVID restrictions.