Malaysian lead think tank expresses willingness to establish cooperation with partners from Uzbekistan

On September 27, 2019, the Ambassador of Uzbekistan in Kuala Lumpur Ravshan Usmanov met with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia, Rastam Mohd Isa, the MFA press service said.

Institute of Strategic and International Studies, as the leading analytical center of Malaysia, plays a significant role in shaping the country's foreign and domestic policy, took part in the development of the Malaysian development concept “Vision 2020” and is the advisory center for the country's “Economic Master Plan” initiative.

During the talks, Rastam Mohd Isa praised the large-scale reforms being carried out in Uzbekistan aimed at further liberalization and modernization of the economy, improving public administration and the judicial sphere of the country.

He said that the Institute headed by him actively interacts with similar organizations from around the world. In this regard, he expressed interest in further enhancing cooperation with Uzbek partners.

In particular, the readiness of the center to intensify cooperation with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies (ISRS) under the President of Uzbekistan, as well as to explore the possibility of establishing cooperation with the Information Analytical Center for International Relations (IACIR) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Institute of Problems of Legislation and Parliamentary Studies (IPLPS) under the Oliy Majlis, Higher School of Diplomacy at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy, was noted.

Following the results of negotiations, the below agreements were reached:

- on enhancing cooperation between ISRS and ISIS, including through the practical implementation of the Memorandum of Cooperation between these institutions reached in 2018;

- on establishing contacts between the IACIR, the IPLPS and the Higher School of Diplomacy with ISIS to discuss issues of cooperation in areas of mutual interest;

- on organizing an event by the Embassy at the ISIS dedicated to trade, economic, investment and tourism potential of Uzbekistan for representatives of socio-political, expert-analytical and business circles of Malaysia.