WNAM REPORT: On 4-5 February 2025, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid an official visit to Malaysia at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. This return visit, which comes just 9 months after the two leaders met in Tashkent in May 2024, highlights the high level of mutual trust and the parties’ desire to strengthen bilateral relations.
This fact demonstrates that Uzbekistan and Malaysia are not limited to a declaration of intentions, but are actively implementing them.
The agenda of the current Uzbekistan – Malaysian events at the highest level was vibrant and laid the foundation for further strengthening of mutually beneficial partnership in several priority areas.
The first is the intensification of industrial cooperation. Malaysia’s experience in developing the semiconductor industry is exciting to our country. Ranking 6th in the world in semiconductor exports, this country demonstrates impressive results. Malaysia’s achievements in strategic planning, marketing, and infrastructure development can benefit Uzbekistan, which deposits more than 30 rare earth and non-ferrous metals, including lithium, magnesium, molybdenum, germanium, vanadium, and indium.
In this context, the agreement on the creation of a special economic zone in Tashkent region under the management of a leading Malaysian company, as well as the announcement of 2025-2026 as a period of innovative development of the Uzbekistan – Malaysian partnership, are of great importance.
The second key area is cooperation in education and human capital development. Human resources are the main wealth of any society and the primary criterion for socio-economic progress. For Uzbekistan, where more than 60% of the population is young, education issues, training specialists, and revealing citizens’ creative potential are paramount.
In this context, Malaysia appears to be a promising partner. The country has a developed higher education system, including 20 public and 50 private universities and branches of leading world universities. Attracting more than 130 thousand international students, Malaysia ranks 11th among the most popular destinations for global education. Such cooperation opens up opportunities for exchanging experiences and introducing modern educational practices.
An essential step in this direction was the agreement reached during the visit to train highly qualified personnel at Petronas University.
Another potentially beneficial vector for strengthening bilateral partnership is cooperation in halal production. According to the latest data, this segment of the global market is experiencing a peak in growth. By 2025, its volume is expected to reach $2.4 trillion, with an annual increase of 3.5%.
Malaysia is deservedly considered a world leader in this field, and its achievements in developing the halal economy have received international recognition. The widespread use of Malaysian Halal certification, which has been adopted in over 100 countries, is impressive.
As a country with a predominantly Muslim population, Uzbekistan shows significant interest in developing this industry. Partnership with Malaysia can become a catalyst for increasing the competitiveness of Uzbek products in the world market.
Based on the visit’s results, we can confidently state that relations between Uzbekistan and Malaysia have entered a new phase of qualitative development. Intensive cooperation at the highest level, supported by specific economic initiatives and institutional mechanisms, lays a solid foundation for a long-term strategic partnership.
In turn, the implementation of the agreements opened up broad prospects for modernizing the economy of Uzbekistan, creating new jobs, and improving the population’s well-being. In addition, fruitful cooperation with Malaysia strengthens our country’s position as a reliable partner in Central Asia. It contributes to the diversification of foreign economic relations in the Asia-Pacific region.
