Anwar to make official visit to Thailand on Feb 9

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will undertake his maiden two-day official visit to Thailand starting Thursday (Feb 9), where he will hold a meeting with Thai counterpart Prayuth Chan o-cha to discuss the way forward in strengthening the multifaceted cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand.

In a statement, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) said Anwar’s visit to Thailand after being sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia is at the invitation of Prayuth.

"The meeting will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss the way forward in strengthening the multifaceted cooperation. Focus areas include economic cooperation, border area development and key connectivity projects crossing the land borders,” it said.

The two Prime Ministers will witness the exchange of four Memoranda of Understanding in the fields of energy cooperation and digital economy.

"Both leaders will also be exchanging views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.

"The visit reflects the close and long-standing bilateral ties between Malaysia and Thailand, built upon mutual trust and partnership.

"The close relationships have benefited the people from both sides stemming from wide-ranging cooperation in various sectors, most notably through cross-border cooperation,” it said.

Anwar is scheduled to hold an engagement with the Malaysian diaspora in Bangkok.

Anwar will be accompanied by his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the Malaysia delegation that includes Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and officials from the relevant ministries and agencies.

Last year, Thailand was Malaysia’s 7th largest trading partner globally and the 3rd largest among Asean countries, with total trade amounting to RM122.03bil (USD27.75bil), an increase of 17.9 percent, compared to the recorded value in 2021.

This is Anwar’s fourth international official visit after Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore since he was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister in Nov 24, last year. - Bernama