PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hosted an official luncheon in honour of visiting Kyrgyz Republic President Sadyr Zhaparov at the Seri Perdana on Wednesday (June 25).
Zhaparov, who arrived in Malaysia on Tuesday for a two-day official visit, was welcomed by Anwar at the Prime Minister's official residence at 11am.
He was also warmly received with a 'Welcome to Malaysia' greeting by 117 pupils from Sekolah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presint 5(1).
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Muhamad Hasan, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, as well as several Kyrgyz Cabinet members, also attended the luncheon.
Earlier, Zhaparov was accorded an official welcome at Perdana Putra, followed by a meeting with Anwar, where they deliberated on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, renewable and green energy, the halal industry, agri-commodities, as well as capacity-building assistance through the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme (MTCP).
Both leaders also witnessed the signing and exchange of several Memoranda of Understanding in tourism, digital transformation and cybersecurity, higher education, health, trade promotion, economic cooperation as well as scientific and research cooperation, and Exchange of Notes in the fields of youth and training for diplomats, as well as Letter of Intent on legal cooperation.
Zhaparov is later scheduled to undertake a brief tour of the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur before departing home.
In 2024, Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, was Malaysia's fourth-largest trading partner among the Central Asian countries, with total bilateral trade of RM40mil (USD8.74mil).
Malaysia's primary exports to the Kyrgyz Republic include electrical and electronic products, palm oil, palm oil-based agricultural products and machinery, equipment and parts, while key imports from the Kyrgyz Republic consist of chemicals and chemical products, electrical and electronic products and processed foods. - Bernama
