Malaysia does not recognise the state of Israel and supports the Palestinian people, the country’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has reiterated, Al Jazeera reports.

Anwar made the comments during a news conference at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Peru on Friday, according to the Malaysian Reserve, where he rejected any suggestion his government had plans to change its diplomatic distance towards Israel.

In a follow-up interview with CNN, Anwar doubled down on his position saying that Malaysia had to maintain its position regarding Israel as “a matter of justice”.

“In the context of the international system, some say ‘de facto’ and some say ‘de jure’. Israel exists as a country in the context of membership in the United Nations (UN), but we still reject official recognition of the country,” he said.