Morsi Appreciates Malaysia's Support On Democracy In Egypt

PUTRAJAYA, July 10 (Bernama) -- Egypt's newly-elected president Mohammed Morsi appreciates very much Malaysia's support on democracy in Egypt and hopes Malaysia can contribute towards its future development, said Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin. Mohamed Khaled, who acted as Prime Minister Najib Razak's special envoy to congratulate Morsi on his election as the new President of Egypt, said this was stated to him by the president himself at their meeting on Sunday. He said at the meeting, Morsi was very pleased and thanked the Prime Minister and all Malaysians for the congratulatory message. "The president also asked that I return to Egypt and meet up with the country's Higher Education Minister to bring bilateral ties to a higher level once Egypt's new cabinet was formed," he told Bernama Monday. The meeting between Mohamed Khaled and Morsi was held at the President's office in Cairo on Sunday. Mohamed Khaled said the President also expressed the hope that bilateral ties between Malaysia could be brought to greater heights in the interest of Muslims worldwide. He said he told Morsi that that he found that in the President's speeches, he often referred to Malaysia as an Islamic nation that could serve as a role model for other Islamic countries in terms of politics and the economy, and that Najib appreciated his positive comments about Malaysia. On this, he said, he explained to Morsi that Malaysia's success was mainly due to emphasis on human capital development and that Malaysia was more than willing to share its experiences with Egypt. "I also broached the idea of bilateral visits and the President said he looked forward to visiting Malaysia at a suitable time," he said. Mohamed Khaled was accompanied by several senior government officials during the meeting. -- BERNAMA