Malaysia sought as Hague Group co-chair, says foreign minister

Several countries want Malaysia to become a co-chair of the Hague Group alongside South Africa, says foreign minister Mohamad Hasan.

Mohamad attributed the interest to Malaysia’s strong and outspoken position on international platforms.

“This includes the positions expressed by the prime minister, who consistently speaks about violations of international law, violations of international humanitarian law and other issues,” he told Malaysian media after delivering the national statement at the 81st United Nations General Assembly here.

However, Mohamad said the matter had yet to be brought to the Cabinet, particularly the prime minister, for approval.

The Hague Group was established in January 2025 by eight countries, including Malaysia and South Africa, to coordinate legal and diplomatic measures in response to violations of international law relating to Palestine.

The group currently lists Colombia and South Africa as its co-chairs, while Malaysia is among its founding members.

It held the Bogota Emergency Conference in July, as well as a high-level meeting at the UN headquarters yesterday.

Mohamad said that groupings such as the Hague Group, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the Group of 77 were important because they allowed like-minded countries to coordinate their positions, convey them to the UN and follow up on decisions.

“We know that Malaysia is not a major power. Our voice will not carry very far if we stand alone,” he said.

“That is why Malaysia joins groups of countries through which we can express our views.”

Mohamad also pointed to Asean as another platform through which middle powers could collectively exert greater influence on global issues.

He said the international community was increasingly looking to the 11-member bloc for its position on global crises.

“When Asean speaks, it usually gets support from the international community,” he said.

However, Mohamad said Asean had to navigate global issues carefully to avoid being perceived as pursuing particular interests.

He said the bloc should focus on issues such as violations of human rights and international law.

“When such things happen, Asean will speak with the voice of its 11 member states,” he said.

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