Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned that developing countries may look beyond Europe for future partnerships if they are treated unfairly, citing Malaysia’s ongoing dispute with Norway over a cancelled missile deal.
Speaking in an interview with RT, Anwar criticised Norway’s decision to revoke the export licence for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM) system despite Malaysia having already paid 95 percent of the contract value.
The Norwegian government withdrew the licence in March, shortly before the scheduled delivery, following tighter export controls on sensitive military technologies.
Malaysia’s Defence Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin has previously said the decision caused direct losses exceeding RM600 million, with indirect costs potentially surpassing RM1 billion.
Anwar said Malaysia had repeatedly sought clarification but received no satisfactory explanation.
“To me, it’s unacceptable,” he said, adding that the episode would influence Malaysia’s future decisions on defence procurement.
The prime minister said he had spoken with Norway’s Prime Minister, who apologised and cited security concerns behind the decision.
Anwar also said Malaysia initially suspected the move could be linked to NATO or the United States, but was later informed that Washington was not involved.
The dispute has strained what Anwar described as a historically strong relationship between Malaysia and Norway.
The NSM case has attracted significant attention in Malaysia and Norway, with Kuala Lumpur continuing to pursue compensation and alternative solutions after the cancellation of the deal.
