MANAMA (BAHRAIN): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Bahrain, beginning Tuesday (Feb 18) night, marks a new chapter in Malaysia-Bahrain diplomatic relations, which celebrated their 50th anniversary last year.
Malaysia's ambassador to Bahrain, Shazryll Zahiran (pic), said Anwar's first visit to the country as Prime Minister comes at the invitation of Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister, Salman Hamad Al Khalifa.
"This historic visit is highly significant as it reflects the close ties between Malaysia and Bahrain, which have now reached the 50-year milestone.
"It will also serve as a strategic platform for the Prime Minister to present Malaysia's foreign policy, particularly its stance on regional and global issues, while reinforcing Malaysia's Asean chairmanship and completing a series of official visits to West Asian nations," he told a press conference here.
Shazryll said during the visit, Anwar is scheduled to hold a courtesy meeting with his Bahraini counterpart to discuss the progress of Malaysia-Bahrain relations, with a focus on strengthening and expanding cooperation in key sectors of mutual interest.
Key areas of discussion include trade and investment, defence, food security, Islamic banking, the halal industry, connectivity, and tourism as well as regional and global issues of shared concern.
As part of Malaysia's Asean chairmanship, Anwar will also extend an invitation to Bahrain's Crown Prince for the upcoming Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the Asean-GCC+ China Summit, both to be held in Malaysia.
He said Anwar is also scheduled to have an audience with Bahrain's King, Raja Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, a high honour for Malaysia that reflects the strong bilateral ties between the two nations.
As Finance Minister, Anwar will also meet his Bahraini counterpart, Shaikh Salman Khalifa Al Khalifa, to explore economic cooperation opportunities between Malaysia and Bahrain.
In 2024, Malaysia-Bahrain trade was valued at RM1.19bil, with RM251.2mil in exports and RM943.3mil in imports.
Bahrain was Malaysia's ninth-largest trading partner in West Asia last year, while Malaysia ranked as Bahrain's third-largest trading partner among Asean countries and 18th globally in 2023.
During the visit, Anwar is also scheduled to deliver a speech at the Intra-Islamic Dialogue Conference, attended by 298 scholars from 75 countries, Shazryll said.
He will also engage with the Malaysian diaspora in Bahrain, which includes 294 professionals and three students currently pursuing higher education in the country.
Bahrain, which means "two seas", was the first Gulf nation to discover oil in 1932, transforming its socio-economic landscape.
Besides oil, Bahrain is home to the world's fourth-largest aluminium processing plant, a key export to Malaysia.
Notably, Bahrain was the first Middle Eastern country to host a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 2004. - Bernama
