KUALA LUMPUR, Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) recently participated in KazanForum 2024 held in Kazan, Russia, an international platform to discuss economic development, trade, and cooperation among Islamic countries. Its chairman, Khairul Azwan Harun, who was specially invited by the organisers as an international panelist, participated in various discussion sessions and panels to promote Malaysia's capabilities in the global halal economy. 'HDC's delegation, led by our chairman, demonstrated Malaysia's commitment as a leader in the global halal industry, in line with the country's halal diplomacy strategy,' the company said in a statement here today. During a panel session, Khairul Azwan emphasised the importance of utilising digital platforms to assist companies in joining the halal supply chain and enhance the value proposition of Halal certification to target consumers. He also pointed out that KazanForum 2024 was an excellent platform as trade and investment discussions could be conducted directly, stressing that Malaysia could leverage this platform to promote its products and services in the halal industry to the global market and attract foreign investment to the country. 'We at HDC are committed to expanding the reach of Malaysia's halal industry and further expanding the Halal trade network through Malaysia-led Halal Diplomacy," he said. HDC's participation in forum also opened opportunities for strategic collaborations with certification bodies from Russia and the Middle East such as Gulftic, the International Center of Halal Standardisation and Certification of Religious Board of Muslims of Russian Federation, and LLC BelHalal. Furthermore, HDC is exploring potential cooperation with local Russian companies such as M2 Farm LLC, Miratorg Holding, Sweet Factory "Volshebnitsa", Uniconf, and Russia's leading vegetable oil producer, Nefis Group, to create more opportunities for local halal ingredient producers. More importantly, HDC aims to forge strong partnerships with Azerbaijan and t he UAE in digitalisation projects, which are expected to boost halal trade to higher levels and strengthen industrial development among participating countries. These efforts, the company said, would also create significant opportunities for Malaysian halal industry players to penetrate the halal markets in Russia and Central Asian countries. The KazanForum 2024 attracted more than 1,000 participants from over 50 countries, including government representatives, entrepreneurs, and industry experts. Participation in forums such as the Kazan Forum 2024 is part of HDC's ongoing efforts to strengthen halal diplomacy and promote Malaysia as a global halal hub. The company stressed that it will continue to play an active role in empowering Malaysia's halal industry, expanding its market, and strengthening its international position. Source: BERNAMA News Agency