PARIS, July 5 — French President Emmanuel Macron called Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s two-day visit to France a success, with the two nations reviving partnerships across all sectors.
He said this was achieved with Anwar’s high-level meetings with his French counterpart François Bayrou and other officials, his important speech at the Sorbonne, and his exchanges with civil society leaders and meetings with French industry captains.
Macron also said it was meaningful as it had been 15 years since a senior Malaysian official last visited France.
He expressed delight to see both countries signing agreements in areas such as minerals and aircraft purchase.
“This visit is a success. We also heard your (Anwar) speech at the university and that is a very important moment,” he said during a joint press conference after holding a bilateral meeting with Anwar at the Elysee Palace here today.
Anwar had earlier delivered a lecture entitled ”Southeast Asia and Europe: Recalibrating The Terms of Engagement” at the Sorbonne, where he called for an equal partnership between Southeast Asia and Europe.
Macron said France’s ties with Malaysia and Asean were being fortified, adding that his visit to Indonesia, Vietnam and Singapore in May this year was an indication of the revival.
“In Southeast Asia, I reiterated our support for regional electricity connectivity, including support for civil nuclear energy,” he added.
Meanwhile, Anwar expressed hope that Macron would visit Malaysia after attending the Francophonie Summit in Cambodia next year.
He said bilateral ties between the countries were getting stronger with the commitment shown by the French government under Macron’s leadership.
“Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia are buying more planes. And Sarawak is also strengthening its own airline by collaborating with France,” said Anwar, who is also finance minister.
He expressed hope that French companies would continue to manufacture aeroplane parts in Malaysia.
In the energy sector, Petronas is working with partners from France in its joint ventures in Latin America and Africa.
Earlier in the day, AirAsia signed an agreement to buy RM51.72 billion worth of long-range A321XLR aircraft from Airbus, with deliveries confirmed by 2028.
Anwar also witnessed an MOU exchange between 3P Capital Advisers and Ardian, a leading French private investment firm, for the exploration of investment opportunities in the private markets.
The private sector initiative can give Malaysians wider access to alternative investments, Anwar said.
Meanwhile, during his meeting with Imerys, an industrial mineral processing company that has operated in Malaysia for over 25 years, Anwar said the firm expressed its commitment to expand operations and support the development of a high-value, environmentally friendly manufacturing sector in the country.
Anwar also met with the management of Arkema, a global leader in specialty chemicals, which is evaluating potential investments in Malaysia.
Anwar was accompanied on his visit by Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz, and Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
France remains one of Malaysia’s top five trading partners in the European Union. In 2024, bilateral trade totalled RM15.95 billion, with RM6.26 billion recorded between January and May this year.
Anwar heads to Brazil today to attend the BRICS Leaders’ Summit until Monday.
— Bernama
