SEPANG: Palestine’s Planning and International Cooperation Minister Dr Estephan Salameh arrived in Kuala Lumpur Friday (July 11) to attend the 4th Ministerial Meeting of the Conference on Cooperation Among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD IV).

He arrived on a special flight at the KLIA Bunga Raya Complex at 8.40 am and was received by Palestinian Ambassador to Malaysia Walid Abu Ali.

Salameh is scheduled to co-chair the CEAPAD IV alongside Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya.

The meeting is held in conjunction with the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings under Malaysia’s Asean Chairmanship.

CEAPAD IV will focus, among others, on capacity-building programmes, the reconstruction of critical infrastructure in Palestine, and the effective delivery of comprehensive humanitarian assistance.

Current member states of CEAPAD are Japan, Palestine, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

The last CEAPAD ministerial meeting was held in Bangkok in 2018.

According to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry’s website, the meeting reflects Malaysia’s continued commitment to the Palestinian cause, as underscored by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Jan 29, who emphasised the urgent need to accelerate efforts for the reconstruction of Gaza and Palestine.

The ministry reiterated its commitment to working closely with Japan under the CEAPAD framework to respond to the Palestinians’ call for assistance. - Bernama