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.
