Anwar, who arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for an official visit, said Malaysia and Russia have established diplomatic ties since 1967, Bernama reported

“There have been enough discussions and memorandums of understanding, and the time has come for the collaboration to be actualised as soon as possible,” he was quoted as saying during a meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

He stressed the importance of Russia-Malaysia cooperation across a wide spectrum, including the food technology, digital development, nuclear energy, and military sectors.

“We have taken a position to ensure that the collaboration covers all fields,” he said.

He also thanked Putin for the opportunity to meet and discuss issues as well as explore ways to elevate bilateral ties to a significantly higher level.

“Russia is a great and very important country. And my delegation, of course, is full of appreciation,” he said.

He said the discussions were comprehensive and eye-opening, and his team looked forward to fruitful deliberations with Russian officials and industry leaders in the coming days.

Anwar’s four-day official trip to Moscow will be followed by a visit to Kazan, Tatarstan, on May 15.

Separately, Russian news agencies Sputnik and RIA Novosti reported that Putin welcomed Anwar and described Malaysia as a “reliable and important partner”.

He said economic ties between Russia and Malaysia are stable, despite a slight dip in bilateral trade last year.

“The Intergovernmental Commission should pay attention to this, look for reasons, and do everything to get to a positive trend of development,” he said.

Putin also expressed hope that Malaysia, in its role as Asean chair this year, would help deepen ties between Russia and the regional bloc.

“We expect our relations with this respected, solid integration bloc to develop with your help, just as the relations between our countries continue to grow,” he said at the beginning of the meeting.