Minister: Malaysia interested in developing smart cities initiative with Azerbaijan - EXCLUSIVE

Malaysia is interested in partnering with Azerbaijan on the smart cities and smart villages initiatives, Nga Kor Ming, Malaysia's Minister of Housing and Local Government and current President of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), told Report on the sidelines of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) taking place in Baku.

"We see significant potential for cooperation with Azerbaijan in this area, including in the development of smart regions. We are encouraged and pleased to see Azerbaijan embarking on this path, and we would certainly like to be part of this process.

The development of smart cities is a step forward, especially given our commitment to a carbon-neutral economy. A smart city is precisely the solution we need. Malaysia, for its part, aims to become an AI nation by 2035. Therefore, the space for partnership between Azerbaijan and Malaysia, as friendly countries, always remains open to both sides," the minister emphasized.

As Nga Kor Ming noted, the Malaysian side welcomes any strategic interaction that can truly contribute to the development of sustainable and resilient cities in line with the key theme of this year's World Urban Forum.

"In this regard, we hope that Azerbaijan will continue to lead by example in improving the well-being of its population and building more decent and affordable housing so that everyone can call it their home and make their dreams come true," he added.