Oleh/By : DATO' SERI DR. MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
Tempat/Venue : SRI PERDANA, KUALA LUMPUR
Tarikh/Date : 09/09/96
Tajuk/Title : THE OFFICIAL DINNER IN HONOUR OF
H.E. MR. VACLAV KLAUS PRIME
MINISTER OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC
1. It gives me great pleasure to extend to Your
Excellency and Madame Klausova as well as members of
your delegation a very warm welcome to Malaysia. My
wife and I are particularly delighted by your
gracious presence at this evening's dinner. This
visit is a tangible and encouraging manifestation of
the close and friendly relations between our two
countries. On our part, Malaysia remains committed
to the intensification of relations with the Czech
Republic and trusts that the potentials which exist
could be further developed for the mutual benefit of
our two countries.
2. There have been dramatic political and economic
changes in the countries of Central Eastern Europe
in the past decade. The tasks, requiring a paradigm
shift for both the political leadership and the
people, have seen major structural changes. We in
Malaysia are highly impressed by the versatility and
resilience of the Czech people in bringing about the
many positive changes. Under your visionary and
pragmatic leadership, the Czech Republic has indeed
crossed the threshold and emerged as a stable,
prosperous and confident country. We note that the
Czech Republic has achieved more in the last few
years than some of the established market economies.
The much coveted membership of the OECD into which
the Czech Republic was accepted last year is
testimony of the remarkable progress your country
has made.
3. Given Malaysia's strong trading orientation,
the Czech Republic is an attractive gateway in
Central Eastern Europe to further develop trade and
economic ties with the region as a whole. As a
member of CEFTA, Visegrad Four and as an associate
member of the European Union your country is well
placed to facilitate access for Malaysia's exports
not only in the newly emerging markets of the region
but also in the European Union. Likewise, Malaysia
could provide the natural springboard for Czech
businessmen and traders to venture into non-
traditional markets in the ASEAN and East Asian
Region.
4. It is a source of satisfaction that trade
between our two countries, although small, has shown
a positive trend. There are many possibilities for
increasing bilateral trade and economic cooperation
as we share similar growth-oriented economic
policies with emphasis on privatisation and
manufacturing. Malaysia is now beginning to set
greater focus on capital intensive and high
technology industries. In this respect, there are
abundant opportunities for Malaysian and Czech
businessmen to collaborate on a joint-venture basis.
This would also enhance our competitiveness and
stand us in good stead to undertake joint ventures
in third countries as well.
5. It is most heartening that Your Excellency's
delegation includes representatives of the
increasingly important Czech private sector. Their
contacts with the Malaysian counterparts will
stimulate fresh interest for business partnerships
with one another. The signing of the Investment
Guarantee Agreement this afternoon has provided an
additional facility to promote long term business
confidence, trade and investment between Malaysia
and the Czech Republic.
6. Cooperation in the tourism industry is another
area which Malaysia and the Czech Republic could
develop. Interactions between ordinary people will
also promote better appreciation and understanding
of Asian and European values.
7. On the multilateral front, Malaysia and the
Czech Republic share the common concern that new
extraneous issues are being imposed on the future
programme of the World Trade Organisation. Such
attempts by certain developed countries are
unfortunate. Any attempt to link international
trading rules with unrelated social and political
issues would place severe strains on the
multilateral trading system. Such linkages should
be rejected.
8. Malaysia and the Czech Republic have also been
showing common concern for the plight of the people
in Bosnia- Herzegovina. The Dayton Peace Agreement
despite its fragility has brought peace and hope to
the Bosnians. Like the Czech Republic, Malaysia
remains committed to the peace process and will
actively contribute to the reconstruction of that
war torn country. In this regard, the private
sectors from both our countries could also jointly
participate and contribute to the reconstruction
efforts of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
9. The future outlook for bilateral relations
between Malaysia and the Czech Republic is positive
and promising. Our common perception on a number of
global issues and the rich potential for economic
collaboration between our two countries, will serve
as a solid basis for the deepening, consolidation
and enhancement of our future relations and
cooperation.
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