Ukraine Seeks Closer Ties With Malaysia As ASEAN’s Global Role Grows
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 16 (Bernama) -- Ukraine is intensifying its engagement with ASEAN and eyeing deeper cooperation with Malaysia, as the bloc’s growing global influence underscores its strategic importance, Foreign and Interparliamentary Ties Committee Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) Oleksandr Merezhko said.
He said ASEAN carries significant political, economic, and cultural weight, offering vast opportunities for stronger cooperation, particularly with Malaysia in its role as ASEAN Chair this year.
“For us, ASEAN has strategic importance. We are very hopeful in terms of developing relations between Ukraine and ASEAN countries.
"We see huge potential in this region and I am very optimistic about developing our relations, especially with such a strategically important country as Malaysia,” he told reporters here on Tuesday.
Merezhko is in Kuala Lumpur for the 46th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly, taking place at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur (WTCKL) from Tuesday to Sept 22.
Observer parliaments that have confirmed their attendance include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the European Parliament, Germany, Japan, Norway, Russia, Pakistan, Turkiye, Ukraine, Brazil, and Spain.
Merezhko said Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship provides Kyiv with an important channel to strengthen ties, particularly through the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), where Ukraine holds observer status.
“On this platform, we can also have bilateral meetings with other members of ASEAN, because we consider this region strategically important for us, not only for economic reasons but also for political reasons,” he said.
Meanwhile, Merezhko said Ukraine sees vast potential to expand ties with Malaysia in areas such as trade, agriculture, defence technology, and post-war reconstruction.
“Honestly, I am not satisfied at the current level because I believe that we have huge potential. Even despite the war, we continue to have economic relations and trade, but we can do more,” he said.
He noted that Malaysia could play a vital role in Ukraine’s reconstruction, highlighting opportunities in food security and advanced defence technology, including drones.
“It is a good sign that Malaysia is providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine. It is a good start, but given the huge potential of economic cooperation between our countries, the current situation is not at the maximum. We need to develop it,” he added.
On the current situation, Merezhko emphasised that Ukraine remains a vibrant democracy, with both government and opposition united in defending the nation.
“Politically speaking, the situation is stable. It doesn’t matter whether it is the ruling party or the opposition, when it comes to security and the defence of our country, we are totally united,” he said, adding that pluralism and respect within Ukraine’s parliament reflect a healthy democratic culture.
-- BERNAMA
