United States President Barack Obama said Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has shown great leadership not only in continuing to boost Malaysia's economy but also in showing leadership on a wide range of multilateral fora.The American leader said "we want to be a strong partner with Malaysia".
"I appreciate the extraordinary cooperation that we've received on a whole range of issues," he said.
"...So, thank you very much, Prime Minister," Obama said in his remarks at a bilateral meeting with Najib here, Friday ahead of the East Asia Summit scheduled for Saturday.
The US president said the bilateral meeting would allow both countries to discuss how they could best use the East Asia Summit to ensure shared prosperity and shared security across the region.
Obama said the meeting also allowed both sides to expand discussions on their bilateral relationship, describing it as "strong", as well the cooperation seen on issues like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
He also alluded to his interaction with Najib at the recently-concluded Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Hawaii.
"I just want to say how much of a pleasure it is to be able to see, once again, Prime Minister Najib.
We just had excellent conversations and consultations at the APEC conference that we hosted in Honolulu," he said.
Meanwhile, Najib, in his statement, noted that the US was Malaysia's fourth largest trading partner and, on a comparative basis, still the largest investor in Malaysia.
"We certainly look forward to expanding trade and investment linkages. And with the TPP, hopefully, we can meet the deadline next year," he said.
Najib said Kuala Lumpur saw great prospects in terms of enhancing trade and investment between the two countries.
"And certainly we look forward to working in other areas concerned," he said.
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