Alizadeh (right) and James during their recent meeting at the Islamic Republic of Iran Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
KUALA LUMPUR: The potential for cooperation between the Malaysia and Islamic Republic of Iran is both significant and diverse.
This was revealed by the Third Secretary (Economic) of the Islamic Republic of Iran Embassy in Kuala Lumpur Mohamad Javad Alizadeh to Sandakan Sabah Media Association (PEMASSA) here recently.
PEMASSA chairman James Leong was invited for a meeting with Alizadeh at the Islamic Republic of Iran Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
Alizadeh has served as Third Secretary (Economic) for over two years.
The 38-year-old Tehran-born diplomat joined the Iranian Foreign Affairs Ministry in 2018 and Malaysia is his first foreign mission.
Touching on the field of economic relationship which Iran and Malaysia could venture into, Alizadeh said the potential for cooperation between the two countries is both significant and diverse.
“Iran imports commodities such as rubber, palm oil, and vegetable oils from Malaysia, while also exporting certain food items and petrochemical products to the Malaysian market,” Alizadeh said.
However, there is considerable untapped potential in areas like high-tech innovations—particularly those related to food security—and in fostering collaborations between knowledge-based enterprises from both nations, he added.
This avenue of partnership could gain much greater attention and yield more impactful results.
Moreover, the presence of numerous Iranian students and academics in Malaysia over recent years creates an excellent foundation for advancing these goals further, Alizadeh said.
Tourism is another promising domain of mutual interest.
This includes various forms such as health tourism, historical exploration, eco-tourism, and religious tourism, all of which could strengthen the ties and economic benefits between the two countries, he added.
The official trade exchange between the two countries stands at approximately USD 700 million in 2022.
However, the trade balance leans in favour of Malaysia.
Additionally, indirect trade takes place, making it difficult to determine the exact total trade volume between the two nations, Alizadeh continued.
Alizadeh emphasized that one of the obstacles to the expansion of cooperation between the two countries was the lack of knowledge and understanding of the capacities for cooperation between the two sides.
We hope this would improve with increased high-level government interactions and more involvement of the private sector of both countries.
“Areas of cooperation are often in the fields of agriculture, handicrafts, and arts.
Recently, Iran participated in a tourism exhibition in Sarawak in November, and the general plan of the embassy is to increase attention to other states, especially Sabah,” Alizadeh said.
Considering Iran’s “Look to the East” policy, as well as the general policy of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to diversify its trading partners and Malaysia’s chair of this important union next year, Alizadeh hopes that the growing trend of cooperation between the two countries will increase.
Malaysia serves as a strategic gateway to accessing the broader market of this region.
A crucial aspect in this endeavor is fostering mutual recognition within the private sectors of both nations across diverse areas of collaboration, he said.
