BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 19. Malaysia hopes to
establish sister-city relations between Baku and Kuala Lumpur, Neil
Jin Keong Kaur, adviser to the Acting President of the UN-Habitat
Assembly Nga Kor Ming, told Trend in an interview on the sidelines of the 13th
session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.
He spoke about the prospects for expanding cooperation between
Azerbaijan and Malaysia in the fields of urban planning, energy
transition, environmental sustainability, and tourism.
Kaur noted that Azerbaijani-Malaysian cooperation develops
across several key areas, highlighting that through his presence in
Baku, the country has already become very familiar to him.
"This marks my eighth visit to Azerbaijan, and I observe strong
working relations between Azerbaijan and Malaysia," he said.
According to him, cooperation between the two countries
primarily covers three main directions: urban planning and city
development, a "zero-waste" approach, and tourism ties.
"The first is the field of urban planning and development. The
second involves zero-waste initiatives for sustainable cities. The
third focuses on increasing the number of Azerbaijani tourists
visiting Malaysia," he emphasized.
Neil Kaur noted that a number of high-level discussions have
already taken place with the Azerbaijani side, and a city
partnership between the two capitals could become possible in the
future.
"We have already held quite a few discussions and hope that the
cities of Kuala Lumpur and Baku will become sister cities," he
said.
The adviser also drew attention to the cooperation potential
between the two countries in the energy sector. According to him,
Azerbaijan and Malaysia possess similar oil and gas sectors, making
mutual knowledge exchange vital.
"We want to learn from Azerbaijan's experience. We find the
ongoing transformation, particularly in the energy sector, highly
interesting," Kaur noted.
Neil Kaur further stated that negotiations regarding specific
projects remain underway. According to him, the main focus
currently centers on the field of converting waste into energy.
"Discussions continue at the project level. As the Ministry of
Housing and Local Government, we want to look into waste-to-energy
projects," he said.
He added that this approach could contribute to sustainable
urban management by converting solid municipal waste into
electricity.
The third day of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum
(WUF13) is underway in Baku.
On the first day, a ministerial meeting dedicated to the New
Urban Agenda, a roundtable of ministers, assemblies of women and
civil society, business sessions, and discussions on urban
well-being were held. A ceremony for raising the flags of the
United Nations and Azerbaijan also took place within the framework
of the forum.
The second day of the forum drew attention with the first-ever
Leaders Summit. High-level discussions on the global housing
crisis, urbanization policy, and urban resilience were held that
day. At the same time, the Mexico City pavilion was inaugurated
within the framework of WUF13. The pavilion was presented as an
important platform for expanding cooperation with the Latin
American region and preparing for WUF14.
WUF13, which has attracted more than 40,000 registered
participants from 182 countries, will continue until May 22. Held
under the theme “Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and
communities,” the forum brings together governments, international
organizations, experts, and representatives of civil society to
strengthen global cooperation in the field of sustainable urban
development.
