Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to pay a brief visit to Bangladesh on October 4 to take forward the relations between the two countries to the next level by exploring new areas of cooperation and strengthening the ties in diverse areas.
He will be visiting Bangladesh at the invitation of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, an official said on Monday.
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.
"The visit remains confirmed as of today," a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB, adding that his stay in Dhaka is likely to last a few hours.
Malaysia is the 8th largest investor in Bangladesh, the official mentioned.
"Apart from manpower issues, other ongoing cooperation including potential areas will come up for discussion," he said.
The Malaysian prime minister will have a bilateral meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus apart from a few other engagements in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday said this will be an official visit, and the Malaysian prime minister will lead a 58-member delegation, including a number of Malaysian ministers.
While briefing reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hossain said the Malaysian PM will also meet the president.
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 for 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.
Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025, and the Rohingya issue will also be discussed, said the Foreign Ministry official.
At least seven Malaysian universities have Yunus Centre, 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 do essential medical treatment in the country at an affordable price.
