The bilateral relations between Malaysia and Germany need to be strengthened with a political nudge through the regular exchange of visits by politicians, business people, academics and artistes among others, former Malaysian Ambassador to Germany Zakaria Sulong said.      

He said bilateral relations between Malaysia and Germany had progressed well in recent years but they need to increase their high-level exchanges to revitalise the ties.     

"A strategic partnership could well ensue if both sides acknowledge and pursue the seriousness of each other’s intent to intensify their cooperation in a strategic manner," he told Bernama.       

"Germany has vital interests in the Asean region where Malaysia can open up doors through its extensive regional presence. Conversely, Germany can clear boulders for Malaysia in the road leading to greater accessibility to the European Union market.     

"This can be done through a continued exchange of high-level political visits," Zakaria said before leaving Berlin in spring this year to take up his new assignment as Malaysia’s high commissioner to the United Kingdom.     

German diplomats yet to visit

Zakaria said he tried during his nearly three years in Berlin to get Chancellor Angela Merkel or the German President to visit Malaysia.       

The visit did not materialise, but many Malaysians in Germany told Bernama that they would like Germany to give a strong push to bilateral relations by paying a long-overdue reciprocal visit to Malaysia after former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badhawi’s official visit to Germany three years ago.      

Malaysian and German experts said that trade and investments, which play a key role in relations between the two countries, are strong and can be further strengthened with a political nudge.     

They said that given the technical capabilities of Malaysian engineers and other experts, Germany’s aviation industry could set up a MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services hub in Malaysia.       

The German automaker BMW has set up a hub in Johor. Volkswagen recently signed an agreement to assemble its Passat cars in Malaysia.     

Malaysia has been able to assert its position as Asean's number one exporting nation to Germany in 2009, even as Malaysia’s exports to Germany declined by 10.7 per cent from 4.47 billion euros in 2008 down to 3.99 billion euros in 2009.     

Malaysia’s imports from Germany also fell by 18.1 percent, down from 3.95 billion in 2008 to 3.23 billion euros in 2009. 

But 2010 promises to be a year of higher growth in two-way trade, as figures to be released next are expected to show.     

- Bernama