MOFA Exhibition Showcases Nation's Diplomatic History - FM Anifah

KUALA LUMPUR, May 24 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is opening itself and its history to the general public through the organisation of its inaugural exhibition of ‘Diplomacy@60: Then & Now’ at the National Museum. The exhibition which will run from May 8 to July 15 showcases personalities who have helped to shape the nation’s foreign policy, as well as the luminaries associated with the ministry. More than 300 diplomats attended the exhibition’s opening ceremony officiated by Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman Tuesday. In his opening address, Anifah said that though diplomacy was normally conducted behind closed doors, this exhibition in itself is a novel concept to the Ministry. "It was time that the Ministry's story be told to the general public. What we do at the Ministry is not always known or told to the people at large. Only a small section of the population actually knows what we do,” he said, adding that the Ministry was at the front line of national interest and the nation’s first line of defence. Anifah said diplomacy, apart from being a semi-clandestine affair, is also one of the driest subjects for those who do not follow the issues. “So to ensure that there is something for all levels of society, we have created pockets of the exhibition to be interactive,” he added. In addition, Anifah said they have also put on display items that have never been exhibited before such as Letters of Recall and the Diplomatic Mail and Cargo. Eighteen countries have set booths to participate in the exhibition in conjunction with 60 years of diplomatic relations with Malaysia namely Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. (photoBERNAMA) -- BERNAMA