Romania Invites Malaysian Firms To Invest In Infrastructure, Construction Projects

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- Romania, the largest country in southeast Europe, is inviting Malaysian companies to invest in its infrastructure and construction projects like railways and highways, said Romania State Secretary for Global Affairs Carmen Liliana Burlacu. "Malaysia is doing very well in these areas. We would like to see its technology being implemented in Romania as well, specifically in infrastructure and in energy sectors," she told a press conference on Wednesday in conjunction with Romania's 45 years celebration of good diplomatic relations with Malaysia. The other sectors that had been opened up for foreign investment were agriculture, processed food, tourism, electrical and electronic sectors as well as oil and gas, she added. Burlacu said foreign investments could either be undertaken through joint ventures or via 100 per cent ownership. "Although Romania's major investors are Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, the United States, South Korea and Japan, we're now focusing on Southeast Asia, particularly Malaysia," she said. Romania is also keen to share its expertise in energy sector including nuclear, thermo, hydro, wind and solar technology. "The move will also enhance efforts by Romanians to improve two-way trade and investment linkages," she said, adding that for the first half of this year, bilateral trade between the two countries stood at US$96 million. Last year, the two-way bilateral trade amounted to more than US$200 million and this is expected to grow by 10 per cent in 2014. Romania's exports include machinery, oil and gas technology, raw materials, high-quality furniture, ready-made garments and shoes, IT products, antibiotics as well as medicine, while Malaysian exports include electronic components, palm oil and biodiesel. Meanwhile, Ambassador to Malaysia Constantin Nistor said other than trade, Romania was also looking into cultural exchange particularly in education and tourism. "Currently, there are about 200 Malaysians mostly studying medicine and other areas of education in Romania including engineering and oil and gas," he said. Tourism is another area that the Romanian government was exploring with Malaysia, said Nistor. "Romania is a tourist haven for those who are interested in history, leisure and outdoor activities (hunting and fishing)," he said. In 2013, more than 8,000 Romanian tourists visited Malaysia, doubling the number of Malaysian tourists to Romania. "We estimate about 10,000 Romanian tourists are expected to visit Malaysia, against 6,000 Malaysians to Romania by end-2014," he added. --BERNAMA