Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : TIRANA, ALBANIA
Tarikh/Date : 12/07/93
Tajuk/Title : OFFICIAL LUNCHEON HOSTED BY THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE COUNCIL OF
MINISTERS OF THE REPUBLIC OF
ALBANIA, H.E. ALEKSANDER MEKSI
H.E. Aleksander Meksi, The Prime Minister of Albania;
Madam Durata Meksi;
Distinguished Guests;
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Malaysia and Albania had established diplomatic
relations twelve years ago. However, we knew very little of
each other and had little to do with each other. More often
than not, when Albania was mentioned, one of your most
celebrated daughters and a Nobel Prize Winner, Mother
Theresa came to mind. Nevertheless, for most Malaysians,
Albania seems such a far and distant place.
2. That we are here together today represents a
significant milestone in our relations, ushered in by the
dramatic political and economic changes that have taken
place in Albania very recently. My wife and I, and members
of my delegation are therefore very delighted to be in this
country, bringing with us the greetings of friendship of the
government and people of Malaysia to the government and
people of Albania.
3. At this juncture, I wish to express to you, Your
Excellency, our deep appreciation for the warm welcome and
kind hospitality that have been accorded to us since our
arrival. The excellent arrangements you have made have
given us the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of your
country, to understand the policy changes that have been
introduced under your government and to assess the possible
areas of cooperation between our two countries.
Your Excellency,
4. This morning I have had very useful discussions with
H.E. the President as well as with you and other members of
the Council of Ministers. I am now better acquainted with
your government's policies and programmes for Albania's
economic development in order to bring progress and
prosperity to the people in an atmosphere of freedom and
democracy. It is indeed a daunting task to undertake -- a
task that not only requires enormous capital and know-how
but also a new frame of mind and attitude. My own country,
Malaysia, had gone through such an experience when, upon
becoming independent in 1957, it had to undertake a series
of development programmes to alleviate poverty and to
transform the economy from mere dependence on the export of
primary commodities to one that is diversified, with a
strong emphasis on processing and manufacturing industries.
5. Our efforts succeeded due to a combination of several
factors, among them are the right policies, hardwork and
discipline, political stability and the ability of the
different ethnic and religious groups that make up the
Malaysian population to work together as a nation. Today
the people of Malaysia are enjoying one of the highest
standards of living among developing countries and we are
confident of achieving our goal of becoming a developed
country by the year 2020. We have accumulated considerable
experience and expertise in different aspects of economic
management and planning including the privatisation of
government industries. Should you think that our experience
will be of benefit to Albania, we are ready to share them
with you and provide training to Albanians in specific areas
where we have the expertise under our Technical Cooperation
Programme.
6. As a country that has an open economy and practises the
free enterprise system, Malaysia has a very active private
sector that has made significant contribution to the
country's economic development. Malaysian businessmen and
entrepreneurs are encouraged to seek new markets and
invest overseas in projects that could bring benefits to
Malaysia and the countries concerned. We shall encourage
our private sector to look at the various opportunities to
participate in the economic development of Albania through
investment and joint-ventures in areas that are now open to
foreign participation.
Your Excellency,
7. The end of the Cold War had given rise to fresh hopes
and expectations of global peace and stability and a new
world order. Unfortunately such optimism proved to be
premature. Several long-standing issues remain unresolved
while new regional and sub-regional conflicts emerged in
various parts of the world. The disintegration of the old
world order had brought to surface previously suppressed
ethnic nationalist sentiments, intolerance and rivalries.
No where are such developments more pronounced that in
Bosnia-Herzegovina where blatant aggression and the drive
for ethnic supremacy by the Serbs is leading to the
destruction and annihilation of an entire group of people
and nation.
8. Albania's close proximity to this horrendous scene of
genocide and ethnic cleansing understandably causes your
country acute concern as it does to us in Malaysia. The
unwillingness of the major powers to take resolute and
decisive action to put an end to this open aggression
against the independence, sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the blatant abuse of
human rights of the Bosnian people, is totally
incomprehensible and unacceptable.
9. Malaysia also shares Albania's anxiety and concern over
other developments in the former Yugoslavia, especially the
situation in Kosovo where the population, mostly of Albanian
descent, are under tremendous pressure by the Serbs. We
agree that preventive action should be initiated for the
peace and stability of the Balkans and the region.
Your Excellency,
10. In conclusion, I wish to once again thank you for the
kind and gracious hospitality accorded to my wife and I, as
well as to members of the Malaysian delegation. This has
been a memorable `getting-to-know-you' visit for all of us
and I hope it will be the beginning of more contacts and
exchanges between our two countries. I look forward to the
pleasure of reciprocating your generous hospitality in
Malaysia.
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