Staff Correspondent

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and the government and people of Malaysia for the warm hospitality extended to him and his delegation during his first official overseas visit since taking office.

In a Facebook post after concluding his two-day visit to Malaysia, the Prime Minister said he and his wife Dr Zubaida Rahman were deeply touched by the friendship, goodwill and warm welcome extended to them by the government of Malaysia and its friendly people.

“My wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, and I extend our heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his gracious wife, Dr Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail, for their incredibly warm welcome and hospitality,” he wrote.

Tarique Rahman said his discussions with the Malaysian Prime Minister reaffirmed the enduring bonds between Bangladesh and Malaysia and reflected the two countries’ shared commitment to expanding cooperation, prosperity and regional progress.

He described Bangladesh-Malaysia relations as a cherished partnership that dates back several decades to the period when his father, former President Ziaur Rahman, led the country and his mother, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, later served as the head of government.

The Prime Minister also expressed sincere appreciation to Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim ibni Sultan Iskandar for the warm reception and cordial meeting during the visit.

He said Bangladesh highly values both bilateral and multilateral cooperation with Malaysia and takes pride in the strong people-to-people ties that connect the two countries across different sectors.

“Following my first state visit as Prime Minister, I look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to further strengthen our multifaceted partnership with Malaysia,” Tarique Rahman added.

The Facebook post came shortly after Tarique Rahman left Malaysia for the Chinese port city of Dalian on Monday afternoon, following the completion of his two-day official visit to the Southeast Asian country.

Tarique Rahman arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday on his first overseas visit since assuming office.

During the visit, he held bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, met Malaysia’s King and attended a series of official engagements aimed at enhancing cooperation in trade, investment, labour migration, culture and other sectors.

Following the Malaysia visit, the Prime Minister travelled to China at the invitation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang.