PUTRAJAYA, Jan 10- Malaysia fully supports Japan's initiative to organise a Conference on Cooperation among East Asia countries for the Palestinian Development (CEAPAD) this July.
It is mainly related to the reconstruction of Gaza.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said this initiative is important for Malaysia and Muslims as a whole.
"This is the issue of reconstruction of Gaza and Palestine.
"It means a lot for Malaysia and other countries," he said at a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Putrajaya, in conjunction with the leader's official visit to Malaysia.
The two leaders also expressed their support for the efforts carried out by the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC).
In the meantime, Datuk Seri Anwar said that Malaysia and Japan are equally empowering cooperation in the field of education in order to enhance relations and strategic partnerships more comprehensively.
He said various initiatives were discussed with his counterpart, Ishiba in relation with this sector, including establishing a branch campus of Tsukuba University in Malaysia.
"Higher education includes the establishment of Tsukuba University's branch campus, collaborations between Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM) and Waseda University as well as between Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the Japan International Institute of Technology, and various TVET engagements.
"So, I am now appealing to him to make sure that Keio University participates in some of our programmes, including in terms of civilisational dialogues because there is an interest for an interaction between Islam and Taoism," said Datuk Seri Anwar.
In addition, he said the long-standing cooperation between PETRONAS and Japan in the trading of liquefied natural gas (LNG) was also among the topics discussed with the Japanese Prime Minister.
Datuk Seri Anwar expressed his appreciation for the cooperation.
The prime minister also praised Japan's role in advancing the carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) initiative as well as the delivery of carbon neutral LNG cargoes to Shikoku Electric and Hiroshima Gas, which is in line with Malaysia's clean energy policy.
Meanwhile, the need to maintain peace and uphold the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea was also one of the matters discussed during the meeting between Datuk Seri Anwar and Ishiba.
Both leaders expressed their stance that peace and stability are very important component to the issue.
The two counterparts agreed that an amicable solution in Myanmar must be reached in accordance with the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus.
It is considered the best step in dealing with the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.