Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim will be visiting Dhaka on Friday at the invitation of the chief advisor of the interim government Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.
This will be the first visit by a Malaysian prime minister to Bangladesh in nearly 11 years.
The foreign ministry said on Tuesday that shortly after taking office as the head of the interim government, the chief adviser, welcomed and exchanged greetings with Malaysia's prime minister via telephone on August 13.
He assured the prime minister of the new interim government's full cooperation.
During this telephone conversation, the chief adviser invited the Malaysian prime minister to visit Bangladesh.
Furthermore, an invitation letter for the visit has been sent to the prime minister through diplomatic channels, the foreign ministry said.
In this context, the Malaysian prime minister will arrive in Bangladesh for an official visit on Friday.
This will be the first visit of a head of government to Bangladesh during the current administration.
"Therefore, this visit is highly significant for bilateral relations."
The Malaysian prime minister will be accompanied by a 58-member delegation, including the foreign minister, minister of trade and investment, deputy minister of transport, deputy minister of religious affairs, two members of parliament, and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry, among others.
During this visit, the Malaysian prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with the president and the chief adviser.
It is expected that discussions will focus on various areas of mutual interest, including economic, political, trade and investment, education, technology, human resource development, labor migration, higher education cooperation, business and investment, communication, infrastructure development, and defense cooperation, the foreign ministry said.
Malaysia will assume the presidency of Asean in 2025. Therefore, there will be a call for Malaysia's active cooperation regarding the repatriation of Rohingyas within the Asean framework.
Additionally, the issue of Bangladesh becoming a "Sectoral Dialogue Partner" in Asean regional cooperation will also be particularly highlighted.
Upon the Malaysian prime minister's arrival in Dhaka for the official visit, he will receive a warm reception in accordance with state protocol.
"This visit is expected to be regarded as a testament to the depth and enduring friendship of bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Malaysia," the foreign ministry said.
Prime Minister Ibrahim will be visiting Islamabad from Wednesday to Friday. This will be his first official visit to Islamabad since assuming office in November 2022, where he is set to hold a bilateral meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
On return, he will visit Bangladesh for a short period of time.
"The visit may last for four hours maximum," said an official with the knowledge of the visit.
"There is a friendship between the chief advisor and the Malaysian prime minister. This friendship may have influenced Anwar Ibrahim’s decision to stop in Dhaka on his way back from Islamabad," said an official.
"Despite the short duration of his stay, the bilateral meeting with the chief advisor and the meeting with the president hold significance."
It is hoped that Malaysia will support Bangladesh's reforms, which are currently a major concern.
Economic discussions will focus on trade and investment, with opportunities to increase trade with Malaysia. Currently, there is $1 billion in investment, which could potentially be raised to $5 billion.
Regarding labor market discussions, a diplomat emphasized that both Malaysia and Bangladesh have similar needs.
Bangladesh wants the process of sending workers to be transparent. Malaysia needs workers, and Bangladesh has them, so the goal is to facilitate this exchange transparently.
The last official visit by a Malaysian Prime Minister to Dhaka was in November 2013 by then-Prime Minister Najib Razak.
