At the Italian Chamber of Deputies on 27 February, Amb Zahid provided a testimony at a hearing of the Permanent Committee on Foreign Policy for the Indo-Pacific. There is an ongoing discourse within Italy on its own potential strategy for the Indo-Pacific. Amb Zahid stressed that an Indo-Pacific strategy should aim at maintaining peace, stability, lowering and avoiding tensions, while having ‘ASEAN Centrality’ as a core principle.
In the ensuring discussions, he supported an idea for Italy to consider being an observer to TPNW meetings. To a question on what is needed to secure trade in the Red Sea, he answered an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. With regard to a question on Malaysia’s position on geopolitical rivalry in the Asia-Pacific, he answered that Malaysia’s foreign policy has been consistent on the principles of peaceful coexistence, non-alignment, and friendly relations with all countries.
Amb Zahid was accompanied by Mr Ahmad Fuad Norzin, Minister Counsellor, Mr Jason Low, First Secretary, and Ms Eleonora Testa, of the Embassy of Malaysia in Rome.
