Malaysian House Speaker affirms two UN, WB awards to His Highness Amir 'well deserved'

16/04/2019

Malaysian parliament Speaker Dato Mohamad Ariff Bin MD Yusof

KUWAIT-- A top Malaysian parliamentarian has affirmed that the two high-ranking United Nations and World Bank awards awarded to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah are "well deserved".

"Of course, His Highness deserves them. We have heard very good things about Kuwait and such high recognition makes us happy," visiting Malaysian Parliament Speaker Dato Mohamad Ariff Bin Md Yusof told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.

World Bank Group announced last Friday an exceptional award handed to His Highness the Amir in recognition of his support of economic and social development worldwide, and global peace.

On September 9, 2014, His Highness was honored by the UN and named leader of humanitarian work.

Yusof said that his official visit to Kuwait along with a delegation representing the Kuwaiti-Malaysian Friendship group aimed at meeting up with Kuwaiti parliamentarians to exchange views about regional and international issues of reciprocal interests.

"Yesterday I met with Kuwait's Speaker of Parliament Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim at the airport and we are very interested to know about how the Kuwaiti parliament works and to exchange views between our parliamentarians," he said.

"Kuwaiti parliament is the most active parliament in this region," affirmed the Malaysian senior official.

Yusof added that Kuwait is a strategic partner of Malaysia, therefore, a Malaysian-Kuwaiti Friendship Group was established following a meeting with Kuwaiti Ambassador to Kuala Lumpur recently.

"We want to get the friendship group moving and maintain it that way," Yusof stressed.

He said that this visit was scheduled last year and now since the parliament is in recess "we made Kuwait's visit as a priority and this is the first trip abroad." The top parliamentarian also affirmed that Malaysia and Kuwait have things in common and "we want to work together to achieve our common agenda and have a common position both being members of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)." Asked about the recent position by US President Donald Trump to recognize the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as part of Israel, Yusof confirmed by saying "Obviously it is very wrong. Golan Heights is a Syrian territory and must remain a Syrian territory. It must be returned to Syria according to international law in this regard." "We oppose it without reservations," he went on to say.

The Malaysian parliamentary delegation is here on a five-day official visit.