Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 04/01/88
Tajuk/Title : THE OFFICIAL DINNER IN HONOUR OF
H.E. MR. GIOVANNI GORIA THE PRIME
MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF ITALY
Your Excellency Mr. Giovanni Goria
Prime Minister of the Republic of
Italy;
Madame Goria;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome Your Excellency,
Madame Goria and distinguished members of your delegation to
Malaysia. My wife and I are very honoured to have Your
Excellency and Madame Goria here tonight. Your Excellency's
visit is indeed a significant event as this is the first
official visit by a Prime Minister of Italy to Malaysia. I
hope that during your short stay in Malaysia you will be
able to see a little bit of our country and observe our
multi-racial way of life.
2. Italy is no alien land to Malaysia. Our ties go back a
long way. Some of us associate Italy in the context of the
arts, accomplished music, an important nexus of European
culture. Italy also represents a mature nation, figuring
frequently in world history, rising and ebbing and
ultimately emerging as one of the more technologically
advanced nations in modern times.
Your Excellency,
3. Relations between Italy and Malaysia has been growing
steadily over the last two decades. Our relations are
founded upon the commitment to raise the economic and social
well-being of our peoples, the pursuit of close regional
cooperation in our respective regions and the commitment to
a peaceful resolution of international conflicts. It is our
hope to see that our relations be further consolidated
through more exchanges of visits between the leaders and
peoples of Italy and Malaysia.
4. Your visit here, Excellency, has given us the
opportunity to exchange views on bilateral matters as well
as on regional and international issues. I believe there
is considerable scope for the expansion of our bilateral
relations, particularly in the field of trade, investment
and economic cooperation. These are areas where the private
sector of both sides could play an important role by taking
advantage of the various opportunities available. Only
through such mutually beneficial endeavours can we add
substance to our relations in order to further strengthen
the foundations already laid. In this connection, I welcome
the presence in your delegation of so many distinguished
members of the Italian private sector. I do hope they
would follow-up on the discussions held with their
Malaysian counterparts.
Your Excellency,
5. Malaysia is fully aware of Italy's pivotal role in the
founding of the European Economic Community. As a member of
ASEAN we are particularly pleased with the frequent contacts
which have been established between the two sides within the
framework of the ASEAN-EEC Dialogues. The cooperative
endeavours between our respective regions have been
encouraging and I am confident that the existing ASEAN-EEC
machinery would contribute positively towards realising our
potential and further augmenting cooperation at all levels.
6. Like other developing countries Malaysia's economy is
dependent on the export of primary products. What we are
concerned with are the problems of tariff and non-tariff
barriers which negate the fundamental principles of
international trade. The basic issue is that of market
access. It is therefore our hope that developed members of
GATT would take the necessary measures to harmonise tariff
rates for tropical products to the lowest prevailing rates
in their respective countries, and to reduce agricultural
subsidies which have caused massive distortions in world
agricultural trade. I trust that Italy itself would help to
persuade the European Community to actively participate in
the current Multi-lateral Trade Negotiations with a view to
liberalising trade in agriculture.
Your Excellency,
7. We are living today in a world where international
peace and security is bedevilled not only by regional
conflicts but also by major power rivalry. Developing
countries have become mere pawns in this game. The efforts
at reaching a satisfactory solution and an end to such
problems as Kampuchea, Afghanistan, the Middle-East and
South Africa are continuously hampered by built-in
complexities and special interests. But whilst our influence
is limited, Malaysia is fully committed as a nation to
making our views heard in the relevant internatioanl fora in
the interests of attaining fairness and justice and the
preservation of the highly cherished principles of
international relations.
8. As a country close to the Kampuchean conflict, Malaysia
shall continue to intensify its efforts, together with the
other ASEAN members, in finding a durable and comprehensive
political solution to the Kampuchean problem, so that peace
and stability will return not only to Kampuchea but also to
the region as a whole. In this connection, we welcome the
latest initiative of Prince Sihanouk to seek a political
solution through national reconciliation.
9. In the backdrop of uncertainties in international
relations and security, it is a matter of some satisfaction
to see East-West relations taking a positive turn with the
recent signing of the INF Treaty between the United States
and the Soviet Union. The conclusion of such a treaty is
indeed a good beginning and a significant step away from
nuclear brinkmanship. In fact, given sincerity on both
sides, we may gradually progress towards a nuclear-weapons
free world in our lifetime. Efforts to minimise the danger
of a nuclear conflict however should not increase the risk
of conventional war. The process of disarmament should of
course not be confined to Europe alone. It should extend to
Asia as soon as possible, for nuclear warfare cannot be
restricted to any region. A nuclear war will be a world war.
Your Excellency,
10. I would like to once again express my pleasure in
welcoming you and the distinguished members of your
delegation to Malaysia and I hope your stay in Malaysia has
been both enjoyable and memorable.
11. Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, distinguished
guests, ladies and gentlemen. May I now invite you to join
me in a toast to the continued good health and happiness of
His Excellency the President of the Republic of Italy, His
Excellency the Prime Minister of the Republic of Italy and
Madame Goria and to the ever-lasting friendship between
Malaysia and the Republic of Italy.
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