Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka Friday 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.
Anwar Ibrahim is likely to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 2:30pm or after that and he will directly go to a hotel, where he will be staying for around four hours, a senior official at the ministry of foreign affairs said.
The Malaysian PM is聽 scheduled to leave Dhaka at 6:25pm.
Malaysian PM is visiting Dhaka at the invitation of chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus. The chief adviser will receive him amid gun salute and guard of honour.
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 August 8.
The bilateral meeting between the Malaysian PM and chief adviser Yunus will be held at the same hotel, followed by a joint press statement.
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 defence cooperation were expected to be highlighted, said foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain.
The two leaders will also have a one-to-one meeting before the bilateral talks. Professor Yunus will also host high tea in honour of the Malaysian PM.
Anwar Ibrahim will also meet president Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban. He will sign visitor鈥檚 book there.
Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025.
In the meeting, the Rohingya issue will also be discussed. The issue of Bangladesh to become a 鈥楽ectoral Dialogue Partner鈥� in ASEAN in terms of regional cooperation will also be specially raised.
鈥楢s a result, this visit is very important in terms of bilateral relations,鈥� said the foreign adviser, adding, 鈥極nce the prime minister of Malaysia arrives in Dhaka, he will be accorded a warm welcome as per state protocol.鈥�
This visit was expected to be considered as an expression of deepening bilateral relations and enduring friendship between Bangladesh and Malaysia, adviser Touhid said.
A 58-member delegation will accompany the Malaysian PM that will include the country鈥檚 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, the Malaysian leader made a phone call to his old friend professor Yunus to congratulate him personally on his recent appointment as the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh.
Later, Yunus invited Anwar Ibrahim to undertake a short visit to Bangladesh as soon as possible to further strengthen the brotherly relationship between the two countries, as he has long-standing good ties with Malaysia.
At least seven Malaysian universities have Yunus Centres, promoting social business ideas he champions and his three-zero concepts.
Malaysia is the 8th largest investor in Bangladesh. 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 said that they could be a desired destination for medical tourism, stating, 鈥楤angladeshi people can avail essential medical treatment in the country at an affordable price.鈥�