US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah and discussed the situation in Myanmar.
"Good to meet with Malaysian Foreign Minister @SaifuddinABD. We discussed Burma, challenges to democracy and human rights, the U.S. commitment to peace and stability in the South China Sea, our support for Malaysia's leadership in the region, and expanding our relationship," Blinken tweeted.
Noting that it's been over 10 months since the military coup seized power in Myanmar, Blinken said that the crisis in the country continues to worsen.
"In 10 months since the military coup, the crisis only continued to worsen. We have repeatedly condemned horrific and widespread violence perpetrated by the Burmese junta against the people of Burma. We've not only spoken out but taken various actions, tried to exert pressure on the junta to change course," the US Department of State said in a statement.
"We've worked in close coordination and collaboration with countries in the region, including the countries in ASEAN itself as an institution, with the objective of seeking the release of all those who are unjustly detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, allowing unhindered humanitarian access because the humanitarian crisis has gotten worse, and of course, returning Burma to its democratic path," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Blinken further said that the United States and Malaysia are launching a partnership to accelerate the latter's transition to clean energy.
"Today we're announcing a new partnership between Malaysia and the United States to speed up Malaysia's transition to clean energy. It's called the Power Sector Program. And the goal is to help Malaysia attract more and higher quality clean energy investments, and to create the conditions for that investment to yield the greatest possible results," Sputnik quoted Blinken as saying.
US will provide Kuala Lumpur with advice on how to attract the investment which is needed to meet clean energy goals.
"We'll provide technical assistance on upgrading Malaysia's electric grid so that it can better handle and distribute power generated by renewable sources, including solar. And we're focusing the support in regions of the country where it can do the most good, like East Malaysia, where qualified investors can speed up the transition from diesel to solar and battery power while creating jobs and spurring growth," he said.
Earlier today, Blinken also met with Malaysian Prime Minister Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob.
Both sides discussed the strong US-Malaysia bilateral relationship rooted in security, economic prosperity, and people-to-people ties. US Secretary and the Malaysian Prime Minister also discussed their desire to strengthen cooperation, including on COVID-19 recovery and pandemic preparedness.
( With inputs from ANI )
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