New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon meets Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim

Auckland: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and his Malaysian counterpart, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, today issued a joint statement emphasising both countries’ commitment to the bilateral strategic partnership.

The joint statement was released at the end of a meeting during the Prime Minister’s first official visit to Malaysia, at which both leaders discussed opportunities to strengthen the relationship between New Zealand and Malaysia in the areas of defence and security, education, trade and people-to-people contacts.

“I was pleased to meet Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and express my ambition for the relationship and the priority this government places on Southeast Asia, including Malaysia,” Luxon said.

“Leading the visit was a valuable opportunity to renew the relationship and ensure it remains relevant for the future.

“Malaysia is one of New Zealand’s oldest friends and partners in the region. Our defence ties are long-standing and we remain committed to regional defence cooperation under the Five Power Defence Arrangements, as well as close cooperation in combating terrorism and transnational organised crime.”

The Prime Ministers noted the strong and highly complementary bilateral trading relationship and a shared ambition to increase the value of two-way trade by 50 percent over the next six years. They announced work on a review of the Malaysia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement and pledged to remove unnecessary barriers to trade, increase market access for each other’s products and reduce transaction costs for exporters.

The prime ministers also announced expanded cooperation in a number of areas, including education, youth and sports outreach, and disaster management.

Prime Minister Luxon will continue his visit to Malaysia tomorrow, where he will hold a number of business and political meetings, before leaving for Korea later in the evening.