U.S. President Barack Obama on Friday called Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for discussing global issues ranging from economic crisis to proliferation, Xinhua reported.
The two leaders "discussed the ongoing global economic crisis, and stressed the importance of growth and sound regulatory systems in both their economies," said the White House in a statement.
In the phone talk, President Obama described "U.S. concerns over proliferation and discussed North Korea and Iran, stressing the importance of implementation of UN Security Council resolutions."
The two leaders also discussed ways to contribute to reconstruction and stability in Afghanistan, said the statement.
The Obama administration, according to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, views Malaysia as an important player both regionally and globally "on a number of important issues" and wants to broaden and deepen strategic cooperation with Malaysia.
The United States is Malaysia's largest trading partner and the largest foreign investor. The two countries also cooperate closely on security matters.