PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron has described Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to France as a significant success, as both nations renewed and expanded their partnerships across a wide range of sectors.
“You have had high-level meetings with Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and other key officials, delivered an important speech at the Sorbonne University, engaged with civil society leaders, and met our business community,” Mr Macron told Mr Anwar during their meeting.
Highlighting growing economic ties and shared diversification strategies, Mr Macron noted several recent developments, including a new critical minerals and rare earths project involving the French company Carester, which recently opened a plant in Lacq. He also cited ongoing collaboration in the transport sector through the longstanding partnership between Malaysia Airlines and Airbus, as well as efforts in energy transition.
“In South-East Asia, I reiterated our support for regional electricity connectivity, including support for civil nuclear energy,” Mr Macron said. “I must also mention the exchanges between our artists, researchers, academics, and students – all those who bring the France-Malaysia relationship to life. New agreements are in view to continue weaving this human connection between our countries.”
Mr Anwar underscored the importance of continued government-to-government cooperation and high-level ministerial engagement to support the private sector’s growing involvement in bilateral initiatives.
“We have benefited immensely from the education, AI, and digital engineering programmes where many of our students have been trained here,” he said. “We want to further explore these opportunities. We have now started to welcome French students to Malaysia, and tourism is also increasing.”
The visit is expected to pave the way for enhanced strategic cooperation, particularly in the areas of education, technology, green energy, and cross-cultural engagement.