
Image credit: Bernama
The Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Malaysia (SAMENTA) has praised Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent mission to Russia as a landmark step forward in Malaysia–Russia economic ties, delivering concrete benefits for Malaysian SMEs.
His participation in the Russia–Islamic World: KazanForum 2025 reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to multilateral engagement, with small businesses at the forefront.
A 10-member Malaysian SME delegation, led by SAMENTA National President Datuk William Ng, took part in KazanForum and a series of business and innovation dialogues centred on SME internationalisation, digital transformation, and industrial partnerships.
Ng was a featured speaker at two key forums:
- “Russian-Malaysian Economic and Industrial Cooperation”, where he highlighted opportunities in green manufacturing, fintech, and smart technologies;
- “International Association of BRICS SEZ”, where he advocated for a dedicated SME corridor within BRICS and OIC trade frameworks to drive grassroots innovation and inclusive economic growth.
“Our message was clear: Malaysian SMEs are agile, digital-ready, and eager to collaborate globally. This forum provided the perfect platform to forge direct ties with Russian agencies and innovation hubs,” Ng said.
On the sidelines of the forum, four key Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) were signed, marking a milestone in bilateral SME cooperation:
- SAMENTA and Russia’s Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) – to collaborate on innovation policy, talent exchange, and technology accelerators.
- SAMENTA and the Association of Clusters, Technology Parks and SEZs of Russia – to create a bilateral innovation corridor linking SMEs and SEZs.
- Veecotech Solutions (a SAMENTA member) and VisionLabs – to co-develop and market AI-powered computer vision applications in Southeast Asia.
- Veecotech, ICL (Russia), and Kazan IT Park – to incubate cross-border startups and jointly research cybersecurity, cloud tech, and enterprise platforms.
“These are not ceremonial agreements — they’re frameworks for real, long-term collaboration in innovation and SME development,” said Ng. “Signing an MoU with ASI, chaired by President Vladimir Putin, signals the respect and recognition Russia has for Malaysia and our Prime Minister.”
The engagements in Kazan align with SAMENTA’s #samenta2036 vision to make Malaysian SMEs globally present and competitive within the international value chain.
SAMENTA extended its gratitude to the Prime Minister for including SMEs in Malaysia’s international diplomacy and for championing their role on the world stage.
Source: https://sme.asia/samenta-hails-pms-russia-visit-as-breakthrough-for-sme-collaboration/