<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was on Friday accorded a red carpet reception on his arrival here on a very short official trip to take the relations between the two countries to a new height.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Malaysian prime minister, who is leading a 58-member delegation, landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 2 pm.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus received him amid gun salute and guard of honour.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain and High Commissioners of Malaysia and Bangladesh, among others, were present.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After almost a decade, a Malaysian Prime Minister is visiting 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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was directly taken to Hotel InterContinental from the airport where he will be staying during the hours-long visit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bilateral meeting between PM Ibrahim and CA Prof Yunus will be held at the same hotel, which will be followed by a joint press statement.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">During the meeting, issues 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 Hossain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">An estimated 800,000 Bangladeshis now live and work in Malaysia. Of them, about 450,000 migrated between August 2022 and May this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The two leaders will also have a one-to-one meeting before the bilateral talks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prof Yunus will also host high tea in honour of the Malaysian prime minister.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Malaysian PM will also meet President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB. He will sign visitor's book there.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025, and the Rohingya issue will also be discussed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In addition, the issue of Bangladesh to become a "Sectoral Dialogue Partner" in ASEAN in terms of regional cooperation will also be specially raised.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This visit is very important in terms of bilateral relations," said the foreign affairs adviser.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This visit is expected to be considered as an expression of deepening bilateral relations and enduring friendship between Bangladesh and Malaysia, said the Adviser.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 58-member delegation 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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In August this year, Prof Yunus invited Anwar Ibrahim to undertake a short visit to Bangladesh to further strengthen the brotherly relationship between the two countries.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Malaysia is the 8th largest investor in Bangladesh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Prof Yunus has long-standing good ties with Malaysia.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At least seven Malaysian universities have Yunus Centres, promoting social business ideas he champions and his three-zero concepts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A second Malaysian car manufacturer has signed an agreement with a Chattogram-based company for distributing and assembling cars.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">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 price.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Malaysian prime minister is scheduled to leave Dhaka at 6:25pm.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>