PUTRAJAYA: The 'king of fruits', durian, along with jackfruit specially flown in from Bangladesh, was served as dessert at a luncheon held in conjunction with Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s official visit to Malaysia.
The luncheon was hosted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Seri Perdana Complex here on Monday (June 22).
The leaders, who arrived together at 11.50am, were greeted with ‘Welcome to Malaysia’ chants by students from Sekolah Kebangsaan Presint 8(2), Putrajaya; Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dengkil; SMK Agama Sungai Merab; Sekolah Menengah Sains Selangor and Sekolah Menengah Agama Persekutuan Kajang.
A group of dancers from Istana Budaya performed a welcoming dance for the delegation.
Apart from Tarique's delegation, the luncheon was also attended by his spouse, Dr Zubaida Rahman and the Prime Minister's wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Also in attendance were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan; Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani; Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan; Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Earlier, Tarique was accorded an official welcome at the Perdana Putra Complex, where he held a bilateral meeting with Anwar.
Tarique and his delegation arrived in Malaysia on Sunday (June 21) for an official visit at Anwar’s invitation.
It marked his first bilateral official visit abroad since assuming office in February 2026.
According to a statement issued by Wisma Putra, Prime Minister Tarique's visit is expected to strengthen the close bilateral ties between the two countries and deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
In 2025, total trade between Malaysia and Bangladesh stood at RM12.18bil (US$2.84 billion).
Malaysia’s total exports to Bangladesh were valued at RM10.08bil (US$2.35 billion), with petroleum products constituting the principal export.
Meanwhile, imports from Bangladesh amounted to RM2.10bil (US$500 million), comprising mainly textiles, apparel, and footwear.
Bangladesh is Malaysia’s 28th largest trading partner globally and its second-largest trading partner, export destination and source of imports in the South Asia region after India. – Bernama
