Malaysia's Permanent Representative To UN Presents Letter Of Credentials To UN Sec-Gen

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 (Bernama) -- The Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the United Nations (UN) Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob presented his letter of credentials to UN secretary-general (UNSG) Antonio Guterres Wednesday at the UN Headquarters in New York, United States. The Permanent Mission of Malaysia to the UN, in a statement, said after the presentation of credentials, both Muhammad Shahrul Ikram and Guterres had a short discussion on issues of mutual interest, including on how to further enhance the cooperation between Malaysia and the UN. "During the meeting, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram congratulated Guterres on his appointment as the UNSG on Jan 1, 2017. "He expressed Malaysia's continued support to Guterres in his ongoing efforts to enhance the work of the UN, particularly towards the maintenance of international peace and security," said the statement made available to Bernama Thursday. Muhammad Shahrul Ikram, 56, a senior career diplomat who has served in the Foreign Ministry since 1988, received his letter of appointment from Foreign Minister Anifah Aman on Jan 25 this year. Prior to his new appointment, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram served as deputy secretary-general for Bilateral Affairs since 2016 besides holding the post of the ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat director-general from 2013 to 2016. He has held several key positions at the ministry, including as Malaysia's ambassador to Austria from 2010 to 2013, ambassador to Qatar from 2007 to 2010 and as counsellor at the Malaysian embassy in Vienna, Austria from 2002 to 2005. -- BERNAMA