Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Friday afternoon to discuss ways to elevate relations between the two countries by exploring new areas of cooperation and strengthening ties in diverse sectors, reports UNB.
He will be visiting Dhaka at the invitation of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.
The Malaysian prime minister is expected to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2:00pm or later. He will then proceed directly to a hotel where he will stay for approximately four hours, a senior official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed UNB.
This visit marks the first time in nearly a decade that a Malaysian prime minister will visit Bangladesh and the first official visit by any head of government since the formation of the interim government on August 8.
A bilateral meeting between the Malaysian prime minister and Chief Adviser Prof Yunus will take place at the same hotel, followed by a joint briefing.
During the meeting, areas of mutual interest, including economic, political, trade and investment, education, technology, human resource development, manpower export, higher education cooperation, communications, infrastructure development, and defense cooperation, are expected to be discussed, said Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain.
Malaysia is set to assume the chairmanship of ASEAN in January 2025, and the Rohingya issue will also be addressed.
Additionally, the issue of Bangladesh becoming a "Sectoral Dialogue Partner" in Asean in terms of regional cooperation will be specially raised.
"This visit is very important for bilateral relations," said the foreign affairs adviser, adding that the prime minister of Malaysia will be accorded a warm welcome upon his arrival in Dhaka, in accordance with state protocol.
This visit is expected to be viewed as an expression of the deepening bilateral relations and enduring friendship between Bangladesh and Malaysia, the adviser noted ahead of the visit.
A 58-member delegation will accompany the Malaysian prime minister, which will include the country's foreign minister, trade and investment minister, deputy minister of transport, deputy minister of religious affairs, two members of parliament, and senior officials from the ministry of foreign affairs.
In August, 2024, Prof Yunus invited him to undertake a short visit to Bangladesh as soon as possible to further strengthen the brotherly relationship between the two countries.
Malaysia is the eighth-largest investor in Bangladesh.
In August, the Malaysian leader made a phone call to his longtime friend, Prof Muhammad Yunus, to personally congratulate him on his recent appointment as chief adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh.
Prof Yunus has long-standing good ties with Malaysia.
"I assured him that Malaysia stands ready to help and support the interim government in rebuilding and restoring peace and security in Bangladesh," said the Malaysian prime minister.
At least, seven Malaysian universities have 'Yunus Centres', promoting the social business ideas he champions and his three-zero concepts.
Malaysian companies, including several owned by its sovereign funds, have invested more than $5 billion in Bangladesh and are now willing to invest more, particularly in education.
A second Malaysian car manufacturer has signed an agreement with a Chittagong-based company for the distribution and assembly of cars.
Malaysia has expressed its potential as a desired destination for medical tourism, saying that Bangladeshi citizens can access essential medical treatment there at an affordable price.
