PM Tarique Rahman’s visit to deepen Dhaka-KL cooperation: Malaysia

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s official visit to Malaysia is expected to further strengthen the close bilateral relations between the two countries, said the Malaysian government.

The visit is also expected to ‘deepen cooperation’ in areas of mutual interest, building upon the strong foundation established since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, while further reinforcing the close and multifaceted ties between the two countries, said the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports UNB.

The Prime Minister arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night (KL time) at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

The visit marks the first official bilateral visit abroad by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman since assuming office in February 2026.

He will be accorded an official welcoming ceremony at the Perdana Putra Complex, Putrajaya on Monday, followed by a bilateral meeting with the Malaysian Prime Minister.

Both leaders are expected to take stock of the progress of Bangladesh-Malaysia bilateral relations and explore opportunities to further strengthen collaboration in key sectors, including trade and investment, human resource management, semiconductor, energy, agriculture, and education, while also exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.

They will also witness the exchange of one Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on cultural cooperation; as well as two ‘Exchange of Notes (EoN) in the field of counter-terrorism research and in the field of investment promotion and facilitation, said the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.

The Malaysian Prime Minister will also host an official luncheon in honour of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

The Prime Minister Rahman is accompanied by his spouse Dr Zubaida Rahman, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, Adviser on Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Mahdi Amin, Adviser on Defence AKM Shamsul Islam and senior government officials.

In 2025, total trade between Bangladesh and Malaysia stood at RM12.18 billion (USD2.84 billion), said the Malaysian government.

Malaysia’s total exports to Bangladesh were valued at RM10.08 billion (USD2.35 billion), with petroleum products constituting the principal export.

Imports from Bangladesh amounted to RM2.10 billion (USD0.50 billion), comprising mainly textiles, apparel and footwear.

Bangladesh was Malaysia’s 28th largest trading partner globally with a total trade of RM12.18 billion. It is also Malaysia’s second largest trading partner, export destination and source of imports in the South Asia region after India.