Malaysia–Sudan relations

Malaysia–Sudan relations refers to the bilateral ties between Malaysia and Sudan. Malaysia has an embassy in Khartoum,[1] and Sudan has an embassy in Kuala Lumpur.[2] Both countries are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Malaysia–Sudan relations
Map indicating locations of Malaysia and Sudan

Malaysia

Sudan

History

edit

The two countries established their relations in 1973.[3] Economic relations between the two began in 1991 when Sudan opened its embassy in Malaysia's capital,[4][5] before Malaysia opened their embassy in Sudan's capital in August 1999.[3] On 13 May 1998, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad arrived Sudan for a three-day official visit.[6][7]

Malaysia is one of the earliest countries to invest in Sudan through Petronas in 1995,[4] with an oilfield in North and South Sudan[8][9] based on headquarters in Khartoum and around 300 Malaysians living in Sudan, being Petronas officials and their families.[4] As of the early 2000s, Malaysia was the second-largest shareholder in Sudan’s oil industry after China.[10] Its state-owned oil company, PETRONAS, had a 30-percent share of Sudan’s Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company.[10] Oil remained Malaysia’s primary interest in Sudan, although during an April 2007 visit to Sudan, Malaysia’s prime minister expressed a willingness to expand bilateral relations beyond oil and gas.[10] He also supported Sudan’s policy in Darfur.[10] Malaysia assisted with the resettlement of Darfur refugees and provided scholarships for Sudanese students to study oil and gas at Universiti Teknologi Petronas.[10] Malaysia had fewer than 10 personnel assigned to UNMIS and more than 60 with UNAMID.[10]

In 2011, some 13,000 Sudanese have visited Malaysia as one of their tourism and honeymoon destinations.[11] Along the same year, Sudan grants a one-month visa for Malaysians and beyond that, Malaysians can apply to extend that period.[12] In 2012, the trade between the two countries estimated at US$90 million.[11] Malaysian major exports to Sudan are palm oil, metal products and machinery, while Sudanese exports are mostly agricultural products such as gum arabic, hibiscus and black seeds, as well as petroleum products.[4] In the same year, Sudan beef began to entering Malaysia markets.[13] The two countries also had an agreement on double tax avoidance.[14][15] A girl school funded by Malaysia was recently opened in Sudan in early 2017.[16] After the United States revoked economic sanctions on Sudan on 6 October 2017, the country began to enhancing and expanding bilateral trade with Malaysia.[17][18]

In October 2021, Malaysian-Sudanese bilateral relations were adversely affected by the Sudanese transitional government's seizure of Petronas' Sudanese assets on the allegation that they had been acquired through illegal means during the rule of ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.[19] On 11 October, the Sudanese transitional government issued an arrest warrant for Petronas' country manager.[20] In response, the Malaysian Government summoned the Sudanese charge d'affaires and urged the Sudanese government to honour the Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Treaty and to respect the sanctity of the Malaysian Embassy, which was housed in the same complex as the Petronas Sudan Complex in Khartoum. Petronas has also sought to cancel the manager's arrest warrant and submitted a request for arbitration at the World Bank's International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).[21][22][23] Middle East Monitor contributor Nasim Ahmed opined that the Sudanese transitional government's actions against Malaysian, Turkish, Qatar and Chinese companies were part of a foreign policy shift to court Western investors.[24]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Official Website of Embassy of Malaysia, Khartoum". Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. ^ "Home". Embassy of the Republic of Sudan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b Rohani Ibrahim (17 March 2010). "Meneroka kerjasama Malaysia-Sudan". Utusan Malaysia (in Malay). Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c d "Sudan invites Malaysian investors to top livestock sector". Bernama. The Star. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Sudan boleh dapat manfaat daripada sokongan teknikal Malaysia". Bernama (in Malay). Astro Awani. 19 December 2016. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  6. ^ "Sudan rolls out the red carpet for Dr M". New Straits Times. 14 May 1998.
  7. ^ "Dr M gets red carpet welcome in Sudan". Business Times. 14 May 1998.
  8. ^ "S. Sudan: Malaysia's PETRONAS funds educational projects". Sudan Tribune. 3 April 2011. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  9. ^ Parach Mach (6 January 2017). "South Sudan renews oil deals with China, Malaysia". Anadolu Agency. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  10. ^ a b c d e f Shinn, David H. (2015). "China, Russia, India, and Malaysia" (PDF). In Berry, LaVerle (ed.). Sudan: a country study (5th ed.). Washington, D.C.: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. pp. 290–291. ISBN 978-0-8444-0750-0.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  11. ^ a b "Malaysia-Sudan trade set to rise". Bernama. The Borneo Post. 5 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  12. ^ "Sudan gives assurance of stronger bilateral ties". New Straits Times. 16 February 2011. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  13. ^ salama (1 November 2012). "Malaysia: Sudan beef to enter Malaysian mart in mid Nov 2012". HalalFocus.net. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  14. ^ "Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement between Malaysia and Sudan". Dezan Shira and Associates. January 2002. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  15. ^ "AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THE SUDAN FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBLE TAXATION AND THE PREVENTION OF FISCAL EVASION WITH RESPECT TO TAXES ON INCOME" (PDF). Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia. January 2002. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  16. ^ "Malaysian-funded girls school opens in Sudan". Bernama. The Malaysian Times. 8 February 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  17. ^ T.G. (10 October 2017). "Why America has lifted sanctions on Sudan". The Economist. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  18. ^ "Sudan looking to enhance bilateral trade". Bernama. Daily Express. 8 November 2017. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  19. ^ Aslan, Dilara (5 October 2021). "Sudanese government seeks confiscation of Malaysia's Petronas' assets". Daily Sabah. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  20. ^ Aslan, Dilara (11 October 2021). "Sudan issues arrest warrant for Petronas country manager: Sources". Daily Sabah. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  21. ^ "Issue of Petronas Sudan Complex in Khartoum". Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 13 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  22. ^ "Malaysia urges Sudan to honour bilateral treaty, observe sanctity of a diplomatic premise over Petronas Sudan Complex". Malay Mail. 13 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  23. ^ Tan, Siew Mung (13 October 2021). "Petronas pursuing legal action to cancel arrest warrant issued against ex-officers". The Edge. Archived from the original on 14 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  24. ^ Ahmed, Nasim (28 September 2021). "Sudan is turning on former allies under the pretext of fighting corruption". Middle East Monitor. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.

Further reading

edit