Diplomatic Correspondent

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka this afternoon to discuss ways to take the relations between the two countries to a new height by exploring new areas of cooperation and strengthening the ties in diverse areas.

He will be visiting Dhaka at the invitation of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

The Malaysian prime minister is likely to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2pm, where he will be given a guard of honour. He will go to a hotel from the airport, where he will stay for around four hours, said a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports UNB.

After almost a decade, a Malaysian prime minister will visit Bangladesh and this official visit is the first by any head of government to Bangladesh since the formation of the interim government on 8 August.

The bilateral meeting between the Malaysian prime minister and the chief adviser will be held at the same hotel which will be followed by a joint briefing.

During the meeting, related areas of mutual interest including economic, political, trade and investment, education, technology and human resource development, manpower export, higher education cooperation, communications, infrastructure development, and defense cooperation are expected to be highlighted, said Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain.

The Malaysian premier will also meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025, and the Rohingya issue will also be discussed.

In addition, the issue of Bangladesh to become a “Sectoral Dialogue Partner” in ASEAN in terms of regional cooperation will also be specially raised.

“As a result, this visit is very important in terms of bilateral relations,” said the foreign affairs adviser.

A 58-member delegation will accompany the Malaysian Prime Minister that 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 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In August this year, 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 old friend, Prof Muhammad Yunus, to congratulate him personally on his recent appointment as the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.

Prof Yunus has long-standing good ties with Malaysia.

“Thus, 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 PM.

At least seven Malaysian universities have Yunus Centres, promoting 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, including in education.

A second Malaysian car manufacturer has signed an agreement with a Chattogram-based company for distributing and assembling cars.

Malaysia says they could be a desired destination for medical tourism, saying the Bangladeshi people can avail essential medical treatment in the country at an affordable cost.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian prime minister will be given a guard of honour at the airport.