PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
It's a beautiful day. Well ladies and gentleman, I am delighted to welcome you all to this joint news conference with the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Abdullah Badawi. I am delighted that he and his colleagues have joined us. This is the first official visit by a Malaysian Prime Minister to Australia in 20 years or more. It's a mark of the determination of both of us to build on what is already a very strong relationship.
We've had discussions both bilaterally and with our ministerial colleagues that have covered the full gamut of the relationship. We've signed a declaration of intent to commence negotiations for a free trade agreement. There has also been a memorandum signed between our respective Communications Ministers. I believe the relationship is in very good shape. Like all countries that take their relationship seriously, there will over time be differences and there will in the future be differences, but what I have described as the solid super structure of this relationship has remained intact, and has continued over a long period of time.
I have indicated to the Prime Minister that we will establish in Australia, under the Chairmanship of Mr Michael Abbott QC, an Australian Malaysia Institute, that is going to bring together eminent Australians - particularly younger politicians, journalists, academics, and others who are committed to a further strengthening of the relationship. We noted that as we meet, two Defence exercises involving Australians and Malaysians are taking place which is a reminder of the ongoing strength of the Defence relationship, and of course one of the most conspicuous characteristics of our relationship is the education one.
There is no country in the world that in total numbers, or in proportion of population, has a larger alumni of Australian universities than Malaysia, and this is a great tribute to the foresight of the Colombo plan all those years ago and it's something that has contributed very strongly to the maintenance of that solid superstructure over the years.
And finally in my brief remarks, the Prime Minster has invited me to visit Malaysia and I'll be very pleased, at a time convenient to both of us, to take up that invitation.
So Prime Minister, I welcome you most warmly and invite you to make some remarks.
PRIME MINISTER BADAWI:
Well Prime Minister, thank you very much. I follow every word you said. I must say that I'm very happy to make this visit to Australia. I believe that when I come here we'll have an opportunity to discuss ways of how we can expand and deepen our bilateral relations. I believe there are many areas of cooperation that we can look into. And at the same time I am particularly happy that we have already decided that we must commence negotiations on the FTA. The FTA will be important to both Malaysia and Australia. It is not just about trade per se or investment per se; it is an agreement that should look into other areas of cooperation which can help enhance trade and investment, and particularly in the area of health, in the area of education, in the area of tourism - these are some of the areas that will be included in the FTA.
At the same time, on the business of the discussions we had just now, I believe that both of us, Mr Howard and I, certainly know for a fact that our relations, bilateral relations have been very strong all these years. There may be some problems here and there about certain issues but on the whole the bilateral relation has remained strong, the trade figures have shown an increase and we are investing more in Australia. We believe that Australia would like to invest more in Malaysia. And especially in the area of biotechnology, in the area of agriculture, we are giving a lot of emphasis on this. At the same time we want to cooperate in the field of education and there are opportunities still for our students to come here to study, especially on subjects relating to biotechnology, to ICT and we have also signed an agreement to cooperate on ICT and at the same time we want to continue to encourage discussions on many issues which are very related to both countries, which are of interest to both countries I mean. And I do welcome the various meetings and understanding that our ministers had. In fact before our meeting this morning, our ministers I had brought along with me had met their counterparts and I was very happy to hear their report just now that the meeting had been successful, there's a very strong understanding that they want to work together, they want to develop more programmes in cooperation that will bring Malaysia and Australia even closer together.
Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Perhaps a couple of questions from each media group.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister Abdullah, should Australia be invited to attend the East Asian summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur later this year?
PRIME MINISTER BADAWI:
Well had we touched on this subject, we had a discussion on this and I have also told Prime Minister Howard that this is a matter that ASEAN leaders and ASEAN Foreign Ministers should be discussing, and on the basis of our decisions then we'll take (inaudible) accordingly.
JOURNALIST:
... Australia and other countries outside of ASEAN plus three should not be included?
PRIME MINISTER BADAWI:
I did not mention anything especially on that. All that I have been saying is that it is important that we work together, it is important that we try to be as close as possible, my policy has been one of inclusiveness and not excluding anybody and that is the policy we have been pursuing so far, but we need to discuss.
JOURNALIST:
...Australia's inclusion at the summit this year?
PRIME MINISTER BADAWI:
We haven't had a summit yet, we haven't finished the discussions at the foreign ministers level. There are many issues that need to be discussed.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Can we have a Malaysian journalist now?
JOURNALIST:
...what do you feel is an important (inaudible) to take the relationship up to the next step?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
A recognition of all of the things that we have in common. All nations that treat their relationship seriously will, from time to time, have some differences. I've always adopted the approach of trying to emphasise the strengths and I believe that one of the great consequences of this visit by the Prime Minister of Malaysia will be that there'll be a greater focus on all the things that Australia and Malaysia have in common. A successful conclusion of a Free Trade Agreement would obviously help but once again we have to be realistic. Free Trade Agreements, if they are to mean anything, must involve benefits for both sides otherwise they don't come about. The strength of the partnership against the threat of terrorism is very significant and we want to build further on that. We want to keep strong the defence relationship. The people to people exchanges of which I've spoken can be further strengthened. I think it's also important to widen what is involved in interface dialogue - Malaysia is a nation of which the dominant religion is Islam, it is an example of moderate progressive Islam and the Prime Minister himself has spoken often of this and will speak again of it while he's in Australia, and that's something I welcome because these forces are very important and I indicated to him, as I did to the President of Indonesia, that one of the great weapons, if not the greatest weapon against extremism and zealotry as personified by terrorism is the consolidation and broadening, within those countries that are involved, of moderate Islam. That applies with Malaysia, in my respectful view, as it does with Indonesia. Can we have one other Malaysian please?
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) cooperation?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well that was raised and I indicated that, not out of any disrespect or disagreement with the spirit of that agreement, that given its antecedence and given that it was delivered to the world, the region, by... of a mindset that we've really all moved on from... I didn't think it was appropriate that Australia should sign it.
JOURNALIST:
On a separate defence matter...
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Separate domestic matter?
JOURNALIST:
Defence matter.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Defence matter?
JOURNALIST:
Yes. There's a US Congressional report out today that raises serious concerns about the joint strike fighter project, it says it's un-executable. As an investor and supporter of that project, what's your response of that finding?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I haven't seen it. I therefore can't give a response.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any concerns...
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I haven't seen it and I therefore cannot give a response.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister Abdullah, one of Prime Minister Howard's election commitments was the creation of flying squads of AFP officers to fight terrorism at their source in the region. Would you be prepared to have one of those squads based in Malaysia and do you think those squads are necessary?
PRIME MINISTER BADAWI:
Well it depends on what can happen. And I think this position; we can certainly take care of what happens within Malaysia. If it necessary that we seek help and assistance from other countries then we do will do. If we think that Australia would be able to help us then we'll ask Australia. If we think the Philippines can help us, we'll ask the Philippines. Naturally we'll be looking to friendly parties, countries to assist. But we will try to sort out the problem ourself.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister Abdullah, you've been quoted as being fairly critical of remarks made by Prime Minister Howard about pre-emption. Did you discuss this today and (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER BADAWI:
No, we had a good understanding. We are the best of friends. There's some issues which we will have different opinions. But that doesn't matter really; what is important is that if we look at a bigger picture there's so much things that we can do together. But the press sometimes, they twist that.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
No, no, I don't believe that...
[ends]