PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he is glad Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia adopted a firm and common stand on the Gaza issue at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in San Francisco yesterday.

“I am proud that in this matter, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei are united and firm.

“His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei (Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah) touched on the conflict in the Middle East. Indonesian President Jokowi spoke about the atrocities in Gaza,” he told the Malaysian media at the end of his visit to the United States.

APEC failed to reach a consensus on the geopolitical issue involving Russia and Ukraine proposed by the US.

As this issue was brought to the APEC platform, Malaysia discussed it agreed to introduce a paragraph on the crisis in Gaza, Anwar said.

The US – as host – agreed to remove the geopolitical element from both statements and would present the issue in the chair’s statement only.

“We exchanged views on the ongoing crisis in Gaza. Leaders, including the United States, shared their respective positions. Some leaders also shared the united messages of the Joint Arab-Islamic Summit in Riyadh on November 11, 2023,” the statement read.

At the same time, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia will issue a joint statement expressing a firm stand about the Gaza humanitarian crisis at APEC 2023.

“Some leaders objected in the accompanying 2023 APEC Leaders’ Golden Gate Declaration on the basis that they do not believe that APEC is a forum to discuss geopolitical issues.

“Overall, I am happy because it is an important position. We are not adversaries, but we take the position as friends,” said Anwar, when asked if he was happy with the overall participation in APEC 2023.

“I didn’t use the forum to condemn but to appeal to stop the atrocities in Gaza,” he said.

According to Anadolu Agency quoting the Palestine government media office, the Palestinian death toll in the ongoing crisis since October 7 has surged past 12,000.

Also present at the press conference were Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Malaysia’s Ambassador to the United States Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz and the Consul General of Malaysia in Los Angeles, Anil Fahriza Adenan.

Earlier, the prime minister met about 400 members of the Malaysian diaspora, the majority of whom were students. A gamut of questions and issues were discussed, including dual citizenship, the ringgit and brain drain. – Bernama, November 18, 2023.