TOKYO, November 1. /TASS/. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has stated that he recently rejected a US call to stop building friendly relations with Russia.

He said the call came during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the 19th East Asia Summit in Laos. "The United States said, 'Stop being friendly with Russia.' I replied, ‘That’s your issue; don’t instruct us. We are an independent, sovereign country; we make decisions for our people and our nation," the Bernama news agency wrote, quoting Anwar Ibrahim's words.

In September, the Malaysian prime minister stated at the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok that Malaysia's authorities are ready to offer special relations to Russia, as they see the country as a friend. He noted that the potential for cooperation between Moscow and Kuala Lumpur is great.