Malaysia's Foreign Affairs Occasions Throughout 2015

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 (Bernama) -- Throughout 2015, Malaysia was involved in many foreign affairs occassions, and the biggest event was when Malaysia assumed the annual rotating chairmanship of ASEAN beginning Jan 1, from Myanmar. Under Malaysia's watch, it aimed to put the vision of a People-Centred ASEAN involving all sectors of society. A significant milestone for ASEAN in 2015 was the realisation of the ASEAN Community as outlined in the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community 2009-2015, where all 10 members aim to achieve uniformity of rules and procedures and seamless physical, infrastructural and people-to-people connectivity. Following are the timeline for Malaysia's foreign affairs events: JANUARY: Jan 1: Malaysia took its seat as a non-permanent member in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). - On Oct 16, 2014 Malaysia won a non-permanent seat in the UNSC, taking 187 out of the total 192 votes at the United Nations General Assembly, to fill five vacancies among the Security Council's non-permanent membership. Malaysia will serve on the Council until Dec 31, 2016. Jan 9: Malaysia stood ready to discuss with the relevant Indonesian authorities on reports that a Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel was sunk by the republic's authorities for conducting illegal fishing activities in Indonesian waters. - On Jan 8, Malaysian-flagged fishing vessel PKFA 7738 was reported sunk by Indonesian authorities after it was found by Pengadilan Negeri Medan to be conducting illegal fishing activities in Indonesian waters off the coast of Pulau Pandang, Sumatera Utara, Indonesia. FEBRUARY: Feb 23: Malaysia called on all countries to renew their commitment to act in a coordinated and concerted manner to counter the threat of terrorism. - Speaking at the United Nations Security Council's Open Debate in New York, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the rise of the non-state actors - in particular terrorists - was one of the defining and urgent challenges that must be addressed by the international community. MARCH: March 17: Maritime and aerospace exhibition, the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace (LIMA'15) held from March 17 to 21, was an international platform for foreign countries to showcase their capabilities and achievements, as well as local industry players to compete at the global level. - The event featured 512 exhibitors from 36 countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, China and Japan and recorded 18 per cent increase in company participation from the previous edition. - At the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Najib Razak inked a plaque to symbolise the launch of the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2015-2030 which focused on developing the aerospace industry in Malaysia and aspired to become the leading aerospace nation within the Southeast Asian region by 2030. March 30: Foreign Minister, Anifah Aman at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop On Combating Wildlife Trafficking stressed that a comprehensive approach was needed to effectively deal with wildlife trafficking crimes in the ASEAN region. - The three-day workshop, co-chaired by the government of the United States of America and Malaysia is the first of its kind under the framework of the ARF. APRIL: April 26: Malaysia hosted the 26th ASEAN Summit. Beginning with the 26th ASEAN Summit on April 26 and 27, it was attended by ASEAN Senior Officials discussing on various matters including the ASEAN Common Time Zone that was seen to increase togetherness among the ASEAN people. MAY: May 20: Foreign Minister, Anifah Aman held a talk at Wisma Putra (Malaysian Foreign Ministry) with his Thai and Indonesian counterparts, General Tanasak Patimapragorn and Retno Marsudi on the issue of irregular movement of people in particular human trafficking. May 25: Malaysia and Slovak Republic signed a protocol agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income. - The signing of the agreement would further enhance bilateral cooperation, trade and investment between the two countries. JUNE: June 18: Malaysia called for concerted action to alleviate the sufferings of children affected by war. - Chairing the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Children in Armed Conflict in New York, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman also emphasised the importance of holding perpetrators of grave violations against children, accountable. JULY: July 31: ASEAN and China agreed to proceed to the next stage of negotiations towards the establishment of the Code of Conduct (CoC) for the South China Sea territorial disputes. AUGUST: Aug 3: ASEAN Foreign Ministers attended the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC). Aug 3: ASEAN intensified efforts to encourage the Nuclear Weapon States (NSW) to accede to the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty. Aug 5: The ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC)+1 Sessions with ASEAN's Dialogue Partners including Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the Russian Federation and the United States of America took place in Kuala Lumpur. - The PMC+1 Sessions with ASEAN provided an opportunity to review dialogue partner cooperation and its future direction. Aug 6: Malaysia highlighted three key areas of cooperation essential to the region, namely the need to intensify financial cooperation, development of small and medium enterprises and closer cooperation to promote connectivity at the ASEAN + 3 Foreign Ministers' Meeting in conjunction with the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM). Aug 30: Cuba has sought Malaysia's support for a revocation of the unilateral trade sanctions imposed by the United States (US) on the country. - The recovery of the US-Cuba relations, would be the catalyst for more rapid development in Latin America. SEPTEMBER: Sept 1: Malaysia and France agreed to cooperate in strengthening intelligence sharing to counter the growing threat of IS militant group, especially in Sulu Waters. OCTOBER: Oct 2: Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned Tel Aviv for its aggression in the occupied territories, and called for a permanent end to injustice against the Palestinians. - Speaking at the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Najib said courage was needed to permanently address the injustice that the Palestinians had been suffering since 1948. - The Prime Minister also spoke of the threat of the so-called Islamic State, which "knows nothing of Islam's noble ideals," and of Malaysia's own experience in curbing militant extremism. Oct 7: Malaysia hosted the Joint Preparatory Meeting (JPM) and related meetings from Oct 6 to 9 in Kuala Lumpur in preparation for the 27th ASEAN Summit in November. Oct 10: Malaysia expressed its deep concern on the recurring haze situation in the region and sought Indonesia's assurances to address land and forest fires in the republic effectively to resolve the problem. Oct 19: Malaysia called on Palestine and Israel to demonstrate restraint and take urgent action to stop any further escalation of the conflict between them, as reconciliation and tolerance was the way forward to ensure a sustainable peace dialogue to resolve both sides' conflict. Oct 22: Deputy Foreign Minister Reezal Merican Naina Merican and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully held a discussion in New York on the issue of Palestine, specifically, to explore the way forward on the Middle East Peace Process at the Security Council. NOVEMBER: Nov 18: The 27th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings took place on Nov 18 to 22 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. - The country also got the limelight when world leaders including United States President Barack Obama and China's Premier Li Keqiang converged in the five-day event. - Besides the establishment of the ASEAN Community, other priorities were enhancing ASEAN's role as a global player, strengthening the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the region, and expanding intra-ASEAN trade and investments. Nov 21: Prime Minister Najib Razak delivered a hard-hitting speech against extremism and terrorism, stressing that new solutions had to be found to address the problem at the opening of the 27th ASEAN Summit. - Najib said military alone would not be enough to defeat those who were bent on causing war, mayhem and death as well as desolation and despair. - ASEAN, he said could and should play a major role in shaping the Asian century, and work with their partners across the continents to shape a world of prosperity, peace and openness. Nov 22: The 'ASEAN 2025 - Forging Ahead Together' document inked by the ASEAN leaders at the 27th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre charts the path for ASEAN community-building over the next 10 years. Nov 29: Malaysia called upon Turkey and Russia to show restraint in the immediate aftermath of the downing of Russian Su-24 jetfighter and ensure efforts towards the de-escalation of tension between both sides. DECEMBER: Dec 9: Foreign Affairs Ministry launched its Strategic Plan 2016-2020, a blueprint for charting the future direction of Malaysia's foreign policy in the lead up to 2020. Dec 31: The ASEAN Community is formally established, marking another siginificant milestone in ASEAN's history. - The ASEAN Community was launched by ASEAN leaders during the 27th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits on Nov 22 in Kuala Lumpur. -- BERNAMA