Australia moves to improve Malaysia ties

Australia's famously tetchy relationship with Malaysia is a thing of the past with the government moving to improve ties even further, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Malaysia this week, Mr Smith said he wanted to underline the importance of links with a close neighbour.

"The relationship in recent historical terms has had its moments," he told the Nine Network on Sunday.

"We want to put that and have put that behind us but it is, we think, open to both Australia and Malaysia to enhance and further entrench a very good relationship."

Mr Smith said he believed much more could be done with Malaysia both in the region and internationally.

Under Malaysia's former prime minister Mahathir Mohammed, the relationship was rocky and came close to breaking completely after Malaysia took offence to former Australian prime minister Paul Keating's "recalcitrant" remark in 1993.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Mr Smith are both visiting Malaysia this week.

Mr Rudd begins a six-day foreign trip with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur where he will hold his first face-to-face talks with new Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Talks are likely to include discussion on ways to curb people smuggling, the impact of the global recession on the region and Mr Rudd's campaign for a new Asia Pacific community.

Mr Smith said it was unusual for both the prime minister and the foreign minister to visit simultaneously.

"But we want to underline the importance of the relationship we have with Malaysia. It has of course in the recent historical period had its moments," he said.

"But we have a much better relationship with Malaysia now but we want to reinforce and underline that, Malaysia has historically been a very important partner with Australia."

Mr Smith said this would be his first official visit to Malaysia and first meeting with Foreign Minister Datuk Anifah Aman.

"Mr Anifah and I will hold the inaugural Australia-Malaysia Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Australia and Malaysia will hold the meeting regularly. It will serve as the principal ministerial forum for the bilateral relationship," he said in a statement.

Mr Smith said he and Mr Anifah would cover a range of regional and global issues, including security developments in the region, the continuing need for close cooperation in response to the global recession, and the importance of regional institutions like ASEAN and the East Asia Summit to these interests.