IMPRESSED: He says 1Malaysia similar to what UN wants to promote worldwide
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulating Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak during his visit to the prime minister’s office yesterday. Pic by Fariz Iswadi Ismail
PUTRAJAYA: UNITED Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is impressed with Malaysia's progress under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
He said he had always been a strong friend and admirer of the country and its people.
"Even though it is my first visit here as secretary-general, I have visited here many times in my personal capacity before and have worked with its people and government.
"I am impressed with what Malaysia has achieved under the leadership of PM Najib in terms of political and democratic maturity, social economic development and the contribution from the policies that the PM introduced."
In a joint press conference with Najib after making a call on the prime minister here yesterday, Ban also lauded the 1Malaysia concept.
"Malaysia is a multiethnic, multireligious, multicultural country promoting unity among diversity, and 1Malaysia is a great vision not only for Malaysian people, but for the region and this is exactly what the UN tries to promote worldwide."
Ban also commended Malaysia's expertise in nation-building and encouraged the nation to share its knowledge with other countries.
Ban, who was on a two-day official visit that included visits to the Institute of Respiratory Medicine in Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysia Peacekeepers Training Camp in Port Dickson, also praised Malaysia's commitment to international peacekeeping mission. He left for Singapore later yesterday to continue with his four-nation Asian tour, which will end in South Korea where he will attend a nuclear safety summit.
Earlier, in his speech at the Institute of Diplomatic and Foreign Relations in Kuala Lumpur, Ban commended Malaysia's continued goodwill towards refugees.
As such, he said it would be timely for Malaysia to build on this by ratifying the 1951 Refugee Convention to support efforts to help refugees and combat human trafficking.
According to Bernama, Najib and wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, hosted a lunch for Ban and his wife, Ban Soon-taek, at Seri Perdana.
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