KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 2): The Melewar Group and the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) have inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a feasibility study towards the setting up of a fully-fledged aviation university in Malaysia.

In a statement today, Minister of Economic Affairs Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the MoU will pave the way in spearheading high-tech and aviation engineering capabilities, serving as a catalyst for human capital and innovation development in the Malaysian aerospace industry.

He said the two parties will also be planning university foundation and technical specialist courses for aviation-related fields in Kuala Lumpur, adding that the parties will also be discussing with the Malaysian and Russian governments on their involvement to jointly develop a fully-fledged aviation university in Malaysia.

The Minister is currently in Moscow for the inaugural Joint Russia-Malaysia Commission for Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation (JCESTC) meeting which was held earlier today.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Azmin said the JCESTC has decided to form the Working Group on Industry and Trade, to be co-chaired by Malaysia’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry and Russia’s Ministry of Industry and Trade.

The working group will explore economic, trade and investment opportunities from both countries.

“Malaysian and Russian officials have also agreed to hold further discussions on the formation of other working groups by year-end,” he said, adding that the second JCESTC meeting will be held in Malaysia next year.

The JCESTC is the result of a series of positive bilateral meetings between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore on Nov 13, 2018 and at the 5th Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok on Sept 5.