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Malaysia’s Pyongyang embassy reopening to cap relations ‘recovery’, says foreign minister
- Saifuddin Abdullah also announced the country’s intention to open a consulate in Turkey and cement ties with other Muslim nations
- He said that Malaysia would be sticking to its claims in the South China Sea and announced a decision ‘soon’ on a recent water dispute with Singapore
After a year of foreign policy mishaps, Malaysia on Friday sought to ring in 2020 with a new report card outlining its policy goals for the year ahead, including the reopening of its embassy in Pyongyang.
Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah told reporters this would cap “the recovery of our bilateral relations with North Korea” nearly three years after Kim Jong-nam, half-brother of the current North Korean leader, was killed in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia wants to be “friendly with all countries”, the minister said, adding that the Pyongyang move would provide positive reinforcement for North Korea’s aborted attempts to hold peace talks with the United States.
“Sometimes you need to motivate people to go to the table to talk,” he said, adding that Malaysia was “of the opinion” that at least some of the United Nations-imposed sanctions against Pyongyang needed to be lifted.
The minister also announced Malaysia’s intention to open a consulate-general in Turkey and appoint honorary consuls in Iraq, Libya and Yemen.
Kim Jong-nam, once the heir apparent to late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, died in February 2017 after a nerve agent was splashed in his face at Kuala Lumpur airport by two women who later claimed they thought they were part of a televised prank show.
After the incident, the North Korean ambassador accused Malaysia of collaborating with Pyongyang’s enemies to help orchestrate the murder, while Malaysian police were blamed for fabricating evidence, leading to diplomatic ties being dramatically severed and North Korea barring Malaysian citizens – who had previously enjoyed visa-free entry – from leaving the country for nearly a month.
Ties between the two nations began to thaw, however, after current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s Pakatan Harapan coalition came to power in May 2018.
In his presentation on Friday, Saifuddin underlined the government’s achievements over the past year, pointing in particular to the claim Malaysia submitted to the United Nations over waters in the disputed South China Sea, a move which drew strenuous objections from China, one of Malaysia’s main trading partners.
He said that Malaysia intended to maintain its claim despite resistance from Beijing, describing the reaction as “normal”. “It is our claim and we will maintain this,” he said, adding that Mahathir’s government was not afraid of retaliation.
When asked about the ministry’s next course of action, he said: “It depends, but the unusual end game is [for it to go to] arbitration”.
He also touched upon a recent water dispute with neighbouring Singapore, saying that “positive discussions” had begun, and an announcement would be made “soon”.
Singapore buys about half of its fresh water from the southern Malaysian state of Johor, with which it shares a maritime border, at three Malaysian sen (less than 1 US cent) per 1,000 gallons of water – a price fixed in a 1962 agreement that has long been a sticking point between the two nations.
Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah’s annual press conference topped off a year of foreign policy missteps for Malaysia, most recently its criticism of India’s recently passed citizenship legislation that significantly cooled relations between the Asian neighbours.
More recently, the much-touted Kuala Lumpur Summit – meant to be a gathering of leaders from the Muslim world – saw Malaysia stepping on Saudi Arabia’s toes for holding a conference outside the auspices of the Saudis-dominated Organisation for Islamic Cooperation.
Riyadh saw the Kuala Lumpur Summit as an affront to its de facto leadership of the Sunni Muslim world, especially since the leaders of its three top regional rivals – Qatar, Turkey and Iran – were invited to the forum and given the honour of delivering keynote speeches.
Despite receiving invitations, the Saudis – along with allies such as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain – stayed away from the summit, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, who had originally hatched the idea for the forum with Mahathir last year, pulled out at the last minute after reportedly coming under pressure from the Saudis.
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