Malaysia–Soviet Union relations ( ms, Hubungan Kesatuan Soviet–Malaysia; Jawi: هوبوڠن كساتوان سوۏيايت–مليسيا; russian: Малайзийско-советские отношения ) refers to the historical relationship between Malaysia and the Soviet Union.

History

Despite Malaysia's early

anti-communist Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...

foreign policy due to the

Malayan Emergency The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...

, the two nations established diplomatic relations on 3 April 1967. Following the establishment of relations, Malaysia also expanded and established relations with other Soviet-influenced countries such as Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic and Yugoslavia. During the time, the Soviets were also keen to develop the relations by promoting Russian culture through the exchange of radio and television programmes, artists and in the educational field. However, throughout the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, relations were often tense due to Malaysia's opposition to the

Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

, the Soviet role in the Vietnam War and Soviet intervention in the Indian Ocean which Malaysia felt could lead to the fulfillment of the domino theory.

Economic relations

The Soviet Union was one of the largest customers of Malayan rubber during the 1950–1960 period, and displaced the United States as the largest purchaser of natural rubber with 134,000 tons purchased between January and July 1963 compared to the United States with only 96,000 tons. However, all the purchases were made through the London market as to avoid friction with Indonesia, who was also a producer of rubber in the region. In 1967, Malaysia also signed a trade agreement with the Soviet Union which was considered as the country's first agreement with a communist country, and as a prelude to full diplomatic relations.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malaysia-Soviet Union relations Soviet Union Bilateral relations of the Soviet Union Soviet

History

Economic relations

Further reading

See also

References