Malaysia PM says agreed with Obama to upgrade ties

Reuters
U.S. President Barack Obama and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak participate in a joint news conference at the Perdana Putra Building in Putrajaya, April 27, 2014. REUTERS/Larry Downing

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Sunday that he and U.S. President Barack Obama agreed to upgrade the two countries' ties to a "comprehensive partnership." "This marks a new phase in our relationship, with greater collaboration in economy, security, education, science, technology," Najib told a joint news conference with Obama following their discussion. "We also decided to reinfigure senior officials' dialogues as a key forum for high-level discussion." Najib also said that the two leaders, in a discussion about territorial tensions in the South China Sea, had agreed on the importance of upholding international law. (Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Mark Felsenthal; Writing by Stuart Grudgings; Editing by Kim Coghill)