On 9 July 2020, H.E. Raja Dato’ Reza Raja Zaib Shah, Ambassador of Malaysia to Ukraine along with Ambassador Yuddy Chrisnandi of Indonesia and Ambassador Nguyen Anh Tuan of Vietnam met with H.E. Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Ukraine in Kyiv. Both sides discussed and exchanged views on ways to enhance interaction between ASEAN Member States and Ukraine including through regular exchange of visits, strengthening of cooperation in trade and investment and promoting people-to-people contact. The Ambassador of Malaysia who spoke on behalf of the ASEAN Ambassadors among others underlined the importance to have closer cooperation in the fields of culture, tourism, education and sports. The issue of liberalization of visa regime was also emphasised by the ambassadors.
The Foreign Minister of Ukraine expressed Ukraine’s aspiration to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and to apply for observer status in the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. H.E. Dmytro Kuleba was of the view that Ukraine and ASEAN must work collectively and strive hard to reach the ambitious goal to achieve USD 5 billion in total trade.
In addition, both sides explored the possibility of establishing an ASEAN Centre in one of the universities in Ukraine and the setting up of ASEAN Committee Kyiv. In light of Covid-19 pandemic and given the friendly relations between Malaysia and Ukraine, H.E. Raja Dato’ Reza Raja Zaib Shah handed over on behalf of the Embassy of Malaysia in Kyiv contribution in the form of face masks to MFA Ukraine.
