Tarique arrives in Malaysia on first state visit

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday night on his first overseas visit since his assumption of power after the formation of his government following a February 12 general election, undertaking the two-day trip at the invitation of his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim.

A special Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the premier, his spouse Dr Zubaida Rahman and members of the PM's entourage landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 8:45pm local time (6:45pm Bangladesh time), reports news agency UNB.

Malaysia's Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan and his wife received the prime minister at the exclusive VVIP terminal, Bunga Raya Complex. A little girl presented a bouquet to Zubaida Rahman.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Manjurul Karim Khan Chowdhury and Deputy High Commissioner Mosammat Shahanara Monica were also present at the time.

From the airport, Tarique Rahman travelled in a ceremonial motorcade to the Shangri-La Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Earlier, the Biman flight departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 2:45pm Bangladesh time.

The visit marks Tarique Rahman's first foreign trip since assuming office on February 17 following his party's landslide victory in the 13th parliamentary election.

Officials said the Prime Minister chose Malaysia as the destination for his first official foreign visit to strengthen economic ties, expand labour market opportunities and deepen strategic cooperation during the two-day tour.

To mark the occasion, roads leading to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and his place of residence were decorated with the national flags of Bangladesh and Malaysia.

The Prime Minister is leading a 23-member high-level delegation that includes Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir, Adviser on Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Mahdi Amin and Adviser on Defence AKM Shamsul Islam.

The delegation also includes Prime Minister's Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam and Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim extended the invitation to Tarique Rahman shortly after the formation of the new government, leading to the official visit.

Malaysia is one of Bangladesh's major trading partners in Asia, although the trade balance remains heavily in Malaysia's favour. Bangladesh imports around US$2 billion worth of goods from Malaysia annually, while exports to the Southeast Asian nation stand at about US$135 million.

Bangladesh mainly exports ready-made garments, particularly knitwear products, to Malaysia, while importing fuel and edible oil.

On Monday morning, the Prime Minister will be accorded an official reception upon his arrival at the Malaysian Prime Minister's Office, Perdana Putra, in Putrajaya.

He is scheduled to hold his first one-to-one meeting with his Malaysian counterpart there. The meeting will be followed by bilateral talks between high-level delegations led by the two leaders.

The discussions are expected to focus on expanding cooperation in trade and investment, energy, the halal economy, manpower recruitment, the semiconductor industry, agriculture, education and people-to-people connectivity.

Bangladesh will also request Malaysia to recruit more Bangladeshi workers in various sectors and discuss measures to ensure the welfare of Bangladeshi expatriates living in the country.

During the visit, Bangladesh is expected to seek Malaysia's support for becoming a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and joining the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the world's largest free trade bloc.

Officials said memorandums of understanding on tourism and cultural cooperation may also be signed during the visit.

The prime ministers of the two countries will be present at the signing ceremony of the bilateral cooperation documents.

They will hold a joint press conference, and the Malaysian Prime Minister will host a luncheon in honour of his Bangladeshi counterpart.

After concluding his visit to Malaysia, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will depart from Kuala Lumpur for Dalian, China, on Monday afternoon on a four-day official visit.

The Malaysian Prime Minister paid a brief official visit to Bangladesh on October 4, 2024, at the invitation of former interim government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's visit to Malaysia has raised fresh hopes for the reopening of the Southeast Asian country's labour market to Bangladeshi workers, which has remained suspended since June 2024.