Channelnewsasia: United States secretary of state Mike Pompeo called on Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Friday (Aug 3) for talks as he concluded his two-day inaugural visit to Malaysia.
During the 30-minute meeting at Perdana Putra, Pompeo – who is the most senior US official to visit Mahathir since his election victory – also took the opportunity to congratulate the Malaysian prime minister for his election win in May. The secretary of state, who arrived at 9am, was accompanied by the US ambassador to Malaysia Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir.Also present were defence minister Mohamad Sabu and deputy foreign minister Marzuki Yahya. Pompeo arrived in Malaysia on Thursday to kick off a five-day tour to three Southeast Asian countries. He is heading to Singapore immediately after meeting Dr Mahathir for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.“The visit provides a great opportunity for both Malaysia and the United States of America to discuss a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of mutual interest,” said a Wisma Putra statement.