MALAYSIA SHINES AS DIPLOMATIC POWERHOUSE WITH SUCCESSFUL ASEAN SUMMIT - FAHMI

PUTRAJAYA, Oct 29 (Bernama) -- The successful hosting of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits has highlighted Malaysia as a major power in world diplomacy, with the attendance of world leaders from the United States, BRICS, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations.

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the three-day summit, held in Kuala Lumpur beginning Sunday, was conducted smoothly amid a challenging global geopolitical and economic landscape, reflecting Malaysia’s capability to manage the meetings with excellence.

“Malaysia has successfully hosted the 47th ASEAN Summit, and our diplomatic excellence has been acknowledged.

“We may not have nuclear weapons, but our strength lies in how we welcome our guests and the way we ensure everything runs smoothly. No other nation could have steered the ASEAN ship through turbulent waves of trade wars and global geopolitics quite like we did,” he said when addressing the Communications Ministry’s Jasamu Dikenang 2025 event here today.

Also present were the Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching, Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) chief executive officer Datin Paduka Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.

Sharing about the presence of prominent world figures, Fahmi said the attendance of FIFA President Gianni Infantino was especially historic.

“Their presence was truly significant. I hope this year’s achievement serves as an example of our hospitality and organisational excellence. When people return to their hometowns, I hope they share how we succeeded -- not only for ASEAN but for Malaysia’s future,” he said.

The Minister also noted that the summit’s success coincided with a stronger performance of the ringgit, which opened higher against the US dollar today.

“This morning, the ringgit appreciated to 4.188 per US dollar from 4.193 (on Tuesday’s close). This is a positive indicator,” he said.

Under Malaysia’s chairmanship, the summit focused on impactful economic discussions to enhance ASEAN’s position as a resilient and attractive investment hub.

In addition to US President Donald Trump, the summit was attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who helms the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) grouping, and South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa.

Other key leaders included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, European Council President Antonio Costa, Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated virtually.

This is Malaysia’s fifth time chairing ASEAN since the grouping was founded in 1967, following previous chairmanships in 2015, 2005, 1997 and 1977.

The annual event consists of the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN+1 Summits with seven dialogue partners, namely Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the US, as well as the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, East Asia Summit, ASEAN-United Nations Summit and ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit to mark 50 years of dialogue relations.

The summits also marked the culmination of Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025, before the Philippines assumes the next ASEAN chairmanship beginning Jan 1, 2026.

-- BERNAMA