Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday landed in Malaysia to discuss labor, trade, and Rohingya issues in his first overseas trip after winning the February national election.
The Malaysian government welcomed Rahman with a formal red carpet reception and guard of honor upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. He is on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar will meet with his Bangladeshi counterpart in Putrajaya on Monday, followed by a high-level meeting of delegations led by both countries' heads of government.
The two prime ministers will later hold a joint press conference.
"Both Leaders will also witness the exchange of one Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on Cultural Cooperation; as well as two Exchange of Notes (EoN) in the field of Counter-Terrorism Research and in the field of Investment Promotion and Facilitation," according to a Malaysian Foreign Ministry statement.
Before the visit, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam said that their main priority during this visit will be the labor market.
Bangladesh comprises 37% of Malaysia's foreign workforce. Over 800,000 Bangladeshis have Malaysian work permits there, according to Malaysian newspaper The Star.
It is also Malaysia's largest trading partner in South Asia after China and India.
Bangladesh will also seek Malaysian support on the Rohingya cause, including in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The country is hosting about 1.2 million Rohingya on its southeast coast of Cox’s Bazar, most of whom fled a Myanmar military crackdown in 2017.
After the trip ends, Rahman will leave for China on Tuesday and pay an official visit from Wednesday to Friday.
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