Former Malaysian PM says war not solution to conflicts

TOKYO, Japan - "War is not a solution to conflicts," said former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad here at a press conference on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

The world now faces similar common problems which cannot be dealt with by individual countries as "we are basically one world," the 97-year-old former prime minister said during his speech at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan in Tokyo.

Regarding the Ukraine crisis, Mahathir calls for negotiations "round a table, not on the battlefield of war," adding that the US-led military aid to Ukraine and unbridled attacks on Russia "could lead to a world war."

Mahathir told the press that the reason why some invited state leaders to the just-concluded Group of Seven (G7) summit did not show support for Ukraine like the G7 leaders was that "they don't like war."

"I don't think going to war, confrontation, or sending your speaker to provoke other countries is a good way of ending a problem that affects the whole world. So my view is that we must reject war," he said.

At the G7 summit which concluded Sunday in Japan's western city of Hiroshima, the G7 members vowed to intensify support for Ukraine and announced specific measures to sanction Russia in a standalone statement on Ukraine.

Mahathir pointed out that the decision made to apply sanctions to Russia has already affected the economy of Malaysia and many other countries that "have no wish to fight against anyone."

"Yes, you can apply sanctions, but sanctions hurt other countries as well," said the former prime minister. - BERNAMA-XINHUA