Malaysia, Muslim Nations Must Maintain Peace & Fight Terrorism - Envoy

By Nabilah Saleh KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia, together with other Muslim nations should continuously play significant roles in working towards preserving world peace as well as fighting terrorism, said Jordan's Charge D' Affaires to Malaysia Dr Maen Masadeh. Masadeh said efforts in working for a more peaceful world must be continued. "Both countries share similar priorities to the issues of Palestine, fighting terrorism, the conflict in Syria and many other areas of common concern. Today's global fight is not between peoples, communities or religions. "Every national leader needs to take a clear and public stand against intolerance of any kind and in this regard, Malaysia could play a vital role," Masadeh told Bernama in an exclusive interview here, Wednesday. The interview was held in conjunction with Jordan's 70th anniversary of independence and the centennial of the Great Arab Revolt celebrated simultaneously on May 25 this year. Elaborating further on this year's celebrations, Masadeh said both occasions reminded all Jordanians of the uprising's sublime principles -- unity, freedom, pluralism and diversity, that led the country to where it is today. Jordan won its formal independence from Britain on May 25, 1946. Meanwhile on bilateral relations, Masadeh added that Jordan is keen to explore the undeveloped sectors and investments with Malaysia. He said there are rooms for more collaborations that could further promote and enhance the current bilateral ties between the two countries especially in the field of halal products. "There are also potentials for cooperation in sharing experiences for example in the Islamic banking and finance sector, besides the halal products. "Other undeveloped sectors would be in the field of cyber security and tourism, where we are currently promoting 'religious tourism' products," he said. Masadeh said looking at Malaysia's capacity that serves as a gateway to other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, therefore Jordan highly anticipate to engage more actively with this country. "In turn, Jordan could be the gateway for Malaysian exporters to other neighbouring countries," he said noting the field of education has always become both nations' stories of success. To date, more than 3,500 Malaysian students are studying at the kingdom's universities, specialising in different majors like medicine, dentistry, Arabic language and Shariah law while more than 1,000 Jordanian students are studying here. Malaysia established diplomatic relations with Jordan in 1965, with the former opening an embassy in Amman in 1994 initially headed by a charge d'affaires and later upgraded to ambassadorial level in 2000. Jordan established its embassy in Kuala Lumpur in 1997. (photoBERNAMA) --BERNAMA