Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR (K.L)
Tarikh/Date : 04/02/91
Tajuk/Title : DINNER IN HONOUR OF HIS EXCELLENCY
YON HYONG MUK PRIME MINISTER OF THE
DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE
Your Excellency Prime Minister Yon Hyong Muk;
Distinguished Members of the Delegation;
Ladies and gentlemen.
On behalf of the government and people of Malaysia, I
wish Your Excellency a warm welcome. We are indeed de-
lighted to be your host tonight. We hope that during your
stay here you would be better able to see the cultural
wealth and variety that is Malaysia.
Excellency,
2. We hope that through this visit the peoples of our two
countries will have a greater awareness of each other's pol-
itical and economic systems. It is not an exaggeration to
say that most Asians know less of each other's countries
than they know of places in the West. However I quite be-
lieve that given the changes taking place in the global
economy, the time has really come for developing countries
to integrate into the regional and international trading and
payment systems. It is for this reason that we regard an
Asian country like the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, with a warm sense of kinship and a sincere hope that
in the coming decade of development in this region, our two
countries will share similar aspirations.
Excellency,
3. All countries, big or small, hope to create a political
environment in their neighbourhood that is conducive to good
and mutually beneficial relation. Being a small country we
must live in harmony with all, beginning with countries in
our immediate neighbourhood. Hence we have two basic aspi-
rations which I feel would be whole-heartedly reciprocated
by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. We aspire for
regional peace and regional prosperity.
4. On the first aspiration - regional peace - I am glad to
say that we are on firm footing for the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea and Malaysia have always been friends and
there was never any contentious issue to cloud our bilateral
relations. We trust that this happy state of relations will
continue and by extension relate to other countries in our
neighbourhood. We see with a sense of reassurance that the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea herself has lived in
peace with her neighbours in the last quarter of a century.
With your fraternal neighbour, the Republic of Korea, you
continue to hold a constructive dialogue at the highest lev-
els. We note too that the larger states around the Demo-
cratic People's Republic of Korea have already established a
new understanding with both the Koreas, based on closer eco-
nomic cooperation and assistance. Indeed rapprochement has
taken a discernible form in the northern area of the Asia
Pacific Sea board, which is seen to dovetail with develop-
ments in Southeast Asia where ASEAN countries have built a
measure of stability over a period of twenty years. The se-
curity which ASEAN states work jointly to achieve are prem-
ised upon improving the standard of living of their peoples
through economic development and the concept of a zone of
peace, freedom and neutrality in the region. In addition,
ASEAN is committed to the concept of keeping Southeast Asia
free of nuclear intrusion.
Excellency,
5. When we reach a solution to the Cambodian problem,
which we hope will be in the near future, our part of Asia
which includes our two countries, will see genuine peace and
political stability.
Excellency,
6. Regarding the second aspiration which I have mentioned,
that is regional prosperity, one could say that there can be
little prosperity anywhere without peace. Even as we sit
here now we know that blood is being shed, unnecessarily
shed in the gulf region. In the war that rages there,
countless lives will be lost, and massive damage will be in-
curred. The irony is that billions of dollars of precious
fund will be expanded to kill and destroy. And what will be
the end result - nothing that is of benefit to anyone. The
Malays have a saying for this sort of wasteful war - If you
win all will turn to charcoal, if you lose all will turn to
ashes. How much more worthwhile it is to live in peace and
build our nations, small though they may be. We in Malaysia
are committed to peace and peaceful solutions to the prob-
lems of international relations.
7. I sincerely hope that the friendship between the Demo-
cratic People's Republic of Korea and Malaysia will continue
and will see many days of fruitful cooperation for peace and
economic prosperity in this East Asian region.
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