(Bloomberg) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim defended his continued engagement with Hamas, saying his decades-long ties with the Palestinian Islamist group gave him an edge in attempts to broker for peace in the Middle East.

Anwar said that he was appealing to Hamas leaders to accept decisions made by neighboring countries to secure peace, such as returning their hostages in exchange for the prisoners in Israel, and accepting a two-state solution. The Malaysian prime minister met with a Hamas delegation in Qatar last week.

“Is that an offense? Did I promote terrorism?” Anwar said at a Nikkei Forum in Tokyo on Thursday. “No. I appealed because I have an advantage. What is my advantage? I know them. And they consider me a friend. A duty as a friend is to convey what’s best.”

Anwar has been the staunchest advocate of the Palestinian cause in Southeast Asia, saying last year Malaysia would not recognize what he says was a unilateral attempt by the US to restrict support of Hamas. Malaysian leaders have a long history of friendly ties with the group, and routinely turn up at protests at home against the US and the western world’s support of Israel.

Hamas is designated a terrorist group by the US and the European union. The group opened a political office in Qatar more than a decade ago in coordination with the US after it requested a channel to communicate with the outfit. Qatar acts as a mediator for indirect talks between Israel, Hamas and Western powers.

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