KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — The new Malaysian Ambassador to Lebanon, Azri Mat Yacob, handed over the letter of appointment to the President of the Republic of Lebanon Michel Aoun in a ceremony, yesterday.
During a meeting with the President after handing over the letter, Azri underlined that he will continue to work to further strengthen existing bilateral relations, as well as strengthen cooperation at the international level and trade relations between the two countries.
According to a statement from the Malaysian Embassy in Lebanon sent to Bernama through Wisma Putra, Aoun welcomed the commitment and also expressed his hope that cooperation between the two countries could be further enhanced in the future.
“Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1965 and since then, the two countries have established good and friendly relations.” said the statement.
The Malaysian Embassy in Beirut was opened in 2005 and a total of 850 officers and members of the Malaysian Battalion (MALBATT) were also in Southern Lebanon to maintain peace and carry out the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission.
Since 2007, the MALBATT team has been involved as one of the peacekeepers to enforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Azri started his career as an Administrative and Diplomatic Officer and served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2001. Prior to his appointment as Malaysian Ambassador to Lebanon, he was the Secretary of the Communications and Public Diplomacy Division, Wisma Putra.
Sources: BERNAMA