WASHINGTON – Speaking to an audience of academics, policy-makers, diplomats and government officials at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Wednesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak focused on shared security concerns and cooperation with the US..
WASHINGTON – Speaking to an audience of academics, policy-makers, diplomats and government officials at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on Wednesday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak focused on shared security concerns and cooperation with the US.
He voiced commitment to isolate North Korea, saying, “Asia must not be held hostage to the prospect of either a WMD (weapons of mass destruction) or conventional war breaking out in our midst. The stakes are simply too high.”
And he expressed grave concern over the crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine state which has seen more than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh.
“I believe the world is almost completely united in being appalled by the latest wave of violence – which also has the potential to radicalise desperate young people enraged by their government’s treatment of them” Datuk Seri Najib warned.
Citing a slew of US-Malaysia joint drills, he said: “Many of these operations have evolved in complexity over the years. This marks a growth in trust and capability between our forces. Military operations have increasingly involved crossing between the physical and virtual domains, and I strongly encourage our forces to share their expertise and experiences as military doctrines, rules, and norms develop in cyber space.”
On the threat of the Islamic State, he said: “Daesh has ensnared some of our citizens both in life and in death, from Mosul to Marawi.” Daesh is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS.
“Men, women, and children from Malaysia have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for a false cause, burning their passports, and hoping never to return. Others seek to kill members of our Government and other prominent figures.
