He said the visit also provided an opportunity for him to share the country’s policies and aspirations related to international relations.
“Indeed, the results are good, our international profile has increased.
“Following meetings with my counterparts, I had the opportunity to share experiences and exchange opinions on global issues and common interests,” he said.
He told a press conference at the end of his visit to New York to take part in the 78th United Nations General Assembly he received many requests for meetings on the sidelines of the session.
“There were so many requests for bilateral meetings but we couldn’t cope because of time constraints. I am happy Malaysia’s international profile has risen to a position that is admirable,” he said.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the visit provided an opportunity for Malaysia to highlight international issues such as the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Islamophobia, climate change and problems in Myanmar.
While in New York, he said, he had the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Turkey, Iraq, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Iraq.
At the same time, efforts to attract more investments and trade to Malaysia continued to bear fruit through meetings with several US giant companies
Anwar held meetings with 15 US leading companies listed in the Fortune 500, including Airbnb, Amazon, Amazon Web Services, Boeing, ConocoPhillips and Kimberly-Clark, at the Harvard Club.
At the Invest Malaysia New York event, attended by equity and bond capital market investors with assets under management reaching US$40 trillion, he gave the government’s commitment to ensure a conducive investment environment.
Anwar said he was happy with his decision to attend the UN assembly even though he initially did not want to because of various domestic issues.
“There were domestic issues to be resolved. So many changes, such as energy transformation, industrial master plan, the mid-term review of the 12th Malaysia Plan and also the by-elections.
“It was really heavy … fortunately, things are much better now,” he said.
Anwar also praised the staff of the Malaysian embassy in the US and the permanent mission of Malaysia to the UN, the foreign ministry, the investment, trade and industry ministry, and other agencies involved in the visit