Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar on Tuesday urged countries in Asia and the Middle East to oppose double standards in the global fight against terrorism.

"Preaching good governance and democracy as an antidote against terrorism while at the same time repudiating it when people express their free will does not send the right signal," said Syed Hamid.

It is important for countries in the Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED) to emphasize their opposition to double standards and duplicity in implementation and observance, said Syed.

The foreign minister made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the First Meeting of the Working Group on Political and Security Issues of the AMED here.

Meanwhile, Hamid stressed the importance for the AMED to take the initiative in creating public awareness programs in countering terrorism.

Malaysia, through its Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counter-Terrorism, is happy to work together with other Counter Terrorism Centers in countries in the AMED in offering courses in counter terrorism, said Syed.

The foreign minister added that countries in the AMED should strengthen cooperation in "timely and effective collection, sharing and use of the credible and reliable information" to ensure the success of international combat against terrorism.

Jointly hosted by Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, the meeting drew nearly 100 representatives from about 30 countries in Asia and the Middle.

During the two-day conference, participants will exchange views mainly on three issues, namely, the political and security developments in Asia and the Middle East, cooperation in fight against international terrorism and energy security.

Source: Xinhua