M’sia, US stand shoulder to shoulder against terrorism
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States of America on the vital mission to eliminate a terror group whose acts sicken all of civilised humanity, says Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
The prime minister said being a partner in the US-led global coalition to defeat Daesh (IS), Malaysia had fought against violent extremism through the promotion of moderation and through its deradicalisation programme, which has had a 90 percent success rate.
"We have fought this through intelligence sharing and counterterrorism measures in our region and beyond. I am proud to say that the Royal Malaysian Police has thwarted at least 13 major terrorist attacks since 2012.
"And we have fought this through being a partner in the US-led global coalition to defeat Daesh and through the strategic dialogue between our Ministry of Defence and the Pentagon," he said in his article titled 'Malaysian Prime Minister: Trump, We have your back in fighting ISIS' published in The Hill, a top US political website, Monday.
Najib, accompanied by his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, is in Washington DC for a three-day working visit, with the prime minister scheduled to meet and hold talks with President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday at the White House.
Saying that his meeting with Trump would mark six decades of strong bilateral ties. Najib said Malaysia-US relationship had gone far beyond trade as both nations shared deep-seated values in other aspects too.
“Taken together, these values are why our relationship was formally elevated to an even higher level in 2014 as an official ‘Comprehensive Partnership'.
“This means that both countries are committed to strengthening our cooperation on the political and diplomatic front, in trade and investment, education and people-to-people ties, and security and defence, among others,” he said.
On the economic front, the prime minister said the US was Malaysia's third largest trading partner in 2016, while Malaysia was the US's 18th largest.
"I hope to encourage even more Americans and US firms to see our country as a destination of great opportunity, with an eager, educated, friendly and Englishspeaking workforce," he said.
Najib, on a personal note, said that it was always a pleasure for him to be in the US, a great country that he had visited countless times since youth.
"I can still remember arriving in New York as a young graduate and marvelling at the music, the food, the architecture and the sheer vibrancy of the city. My affection for your country has never dimmed, and the same goes for the thousands of Malaysians who have lived, worked and studied in America,” he said.