Malaysian PM assures Tarique of doing his utmost on extending fuel support

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has assured his Bangladeshi counterpart, Tarique Rahman, that he would explore all possible means to help ease Dhaka’s ongoing fuel crisis.

During a phone call on Tuesday noon, the Malaysian PM said he will discuss the issue with his concerned cabinet members at the earliest and give feedbacks to Tarique.

State Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit revealed the phone conversation with reporters at a briefing in the Secretariat.

The phone call took place shortly after Tarique sent a letter to Anwar Ibrahim asking for urgent support in Bangladesh’s ongoing fuel crisis sparked by a technical glitch in one of the two LNG terminals, Aninda Islam Amit added.

The PM’s Spokesperson Mahdi Amin forwarded the letter to Malaysian authorities, the state minister said.

For the time being, Bangladesh is giving priority to importing LNG from Malaysia to make up for the current supply disruption, Aninda Islam said.

But at the same time, the government is also exploring prospects for using Malaysian expertise, advisory and other resources for addressing Bangladesh’s energy crisis, he said.

The current crisis stems from decades of reliance on only two natural gas sources: domestic reserves and LNG imports through offshore terminals.

In this backdrop, the government is also looking at prospects to keep multiple alternative sources in hand to mitigate any future crises, the state minister noted.

Instead of offshore LNG terminal, the government is prioritising setting up overland LNG terminal to avert future technical issues. Recently detailed discussions were held with a top government official from Japan on receiving support for building the land-based terminal, Aninda Islam said.

Malaysian PM’s statement

Anwar Ibrahim on Tuesday posted a statement on his official Facebook page outlining his phone conversation with Tarique:

“During the telephone conversation with the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Tarique Rahman today, we touched on various issues related to efforts to strengthen Malaysia-Bangladesh relations, particularly in the energy and investment sectors for mutual benefit.

“Among the key issues raised was the challenge of gas supply that Bangladesh is facing, which is why he is seeking Malaysia's assistance, including through cooperation with PETRONAS to supply LNG to help meet the country's urgent needs.

“In the telephone conversation, economic cooperation, including the progress of investments involving Axiata, and the potential for strategic cooperation with MMC Port were also discussed to strengthen economic relations and open up more opportunities for both countries.

“Malaysia will continue to be committed to strengthening the long-standing friendship with Bangladesh, based on a spirit of mutual respect, pragmatic cooperation, and a commitment to bring benefits to the people of both countries.”