MALAYSIA, JAPAN ANNOUNCE INITIATIVE FOR ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY

From Khairdzir Yunus

TOKYO, April 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and Japan announced on Monday an
intitiative called the "Japan-Malaysia Cooperation Initiative for Environment
and Energy" to further advance cooperation in the areas of environment and
energy.

This was disclosed in the Malaysia-Japan joint leaders' statement released
following a bilateral meeting between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib
Tun Razak and Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on the occasion of Najib's
first official visit to Japan as the prime minister, here Monday.

Some 20 areas of cooperation have been outlined under the intiative which
include environment preservation, chemical management, wastes and recycle,
conservation of biodiversity, energy conservation, renewable energy, and
standard and conformity assessment.

The statement said the two leaders concurred on the issue of strengthening
cooperation in environment and energy based on the recognition that both
countries were important partners for energy security and were aiming at the
enhancement of competitiveness and sustainable growth through the introduction
of green technology.

Titled "Enhanced Partnership for a New Frontier", the joint statement said
that
based on the strong ties between the peoples of Japan and Malaysia, which have
been greatly strengthened with the implementation of the Look East Policy, the
two leaders confirmed that the bilateral relationship was entering a new stage
of enhanced partnership.

It said the two leaders also shared the view to continue discussion on
deepening the cooperation between both countries as well as tackling future
challenges by utilizing frameworks including the Japan-Malaysia Economic
Partnership Agreement.

The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to promote regional architecture
in
East Asia including the building of an East Asian community with the Asean being
the driving force.

The statement also said the two leaders expressed mutual desire to further
enhance bilateral cooperation towards a new frontier, including practical
cooperation towards the realisation of the concept of an East Asian community
and efforts in the international arena towards global challenges.

The two leaders acknowledged the importance of maintaining peace and
stability
in Mindanao and expressed their hope that the Philippine government and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) would continue their talks on the peace process.


Hatoyama expressed his appreciation for Malaysia's role as a facilitator in
the peace process.

"In this regard, the two leaders welcomed the resumption of the
International
Monitoring Team (IMT) led by Malaysia," it said.

It said Najib expressed his appreciation for Japan's contribution in the
area
of socio-economic development and through its participation in the International
Contact Group (ICG).

The two leaders concurred in continuing engagement in the peace process and
reconstruction assistance.

The two leaders also expressed their desire to enhance cooperation in
promoting
the Middle East peace process and to strengthen their efforts to assist the
Palestinian people in their nation-building as part of efforts by the
international community.

The two leaders recognised the importance of maintaining the safety and
security of maritime navigation, especially in the sea lanes of communication
(SLOC).

"In this regard, Prime Minister Hatoyama acknowledged Malaysia's continued
efforts to ensure the safety and security of maritime navigation within its
maritime areas, including the Strait of Malacca," it said.

The two leaders shared concerns over the continuing threat posed by piracy
off
the coast of Somalia and concurred that the issue should be addressed
holistically.

They also reaffirmed the need for the early realisation of a comprehensive
reform of the United Nations (UN), especially the Security Council through
expansion in both permanent and non-permanent categories.

The two leaders recognised that the long-standing economic ties have formed
a
substantial part of foundation of the strong Japan-Malaysia relations.

Hatoyama appreciated Najib's initiative to promote easing of regulation and
economic liberalisation in order to become a developed nation by 2020 and looked
forward to further progress under the New Economic Model.

The two leaders expressed their confidence in the investment environment in
Malaysia and the promotion of partnership between the private sectors of the two
countries, including the expansion of investment in Malaysia by Japanese
corporations.

The two leaders acknowledged the importance of promoting policies based on
the needs of the business community under the public-private partnership.

They appreciated the role played by the Look East Policy in human resources
development in Malaysia, through education exchanges and capacity building, and
the promotion of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and
welcomed efforts to explore new areas of cooperation under the policy.

The two leaders welcomed existing exchanges in the field of higher education
and shared the view that both sides would continue consultation on the idea of
incorporating into Malaysian higher education, where possible, the experience of
Japan in the field of engineering.

Meanwhile, the statement said, Najib had extended his formal invitation for
Hatoyama to visit Malaysia.

Hatoyama, it said, accepted the invitation and stated that he would like to
visit Malaysia in the near future.

-- BERNAMA



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