Tarique Rahman, Anwar Ibrahim hold joint press conference after bilateral talks
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim warmly welcomed Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The two leaders then held a one-on-one meeting, followed by bilateral talks. Afterwards, they appeared at an official joint press conference.
According to information from BSS and the Prime Minister’s Office Facebook page, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and his spouse Zubaida Rahman left Kuala Lumpur's Shangri-La Hotel in a motorcade at 8:30 am local time today, Monday.
They arrived at Perdana Putra, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya, at 9:00 am. They were warmly received by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Tarique Rahman and Zubaida Rahman were then accorded a guard of honour by a smartly turned-out contingent of the Malaysian Armed Forces on a red carpet. The national anthems of Bangladesh and Malaysia were played, and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman received the guard.
Following the reception ceremony, Tarique Rahman introduced the members of his delegation to the Malaysian prime minister. Likewise, the Malaysian prime minister introduced members of his cabinet to his Bangladeshi counterpart.
After the formal introductions, Tarique Rahman signed the visitors’ book at the entrance to the building. The two prime ministers later held a private meeting on the fifth floor of Perdana Putra at 9:30 am local time.
Following the one-on-one meeting, high-level talks between the two countries began, with the prime ministers of Bangladesh and Malaysia leading their respective delegations.
Those attending the meeting included Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Minister for Overseas Employment Ariful Haque Chowdhury, State Minister for Energy and Power Aninda Islam Amit, Foreign Affairs Adviser Humayun Kabir, Finance Adviser Rashed Mahmud Titumir, Education Adviser Mahadi Amin and Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam, among others.
The foreign secretary had earlier said the discussions would focus on expanding trade and investment, energy cooperation, the halal economy, labour migration, the semiconductor industry, agriculture, education, connectivity and broader cooperation between the two countries across various sectors.
Following the bilateral talks, the two leaders joined an official joint press conference.
After the press conference, Tarique Rahman, Zubaida Rahman and members of the delegation were scheduled to attend a luncheon at the Malaysian prime minister's official residence. Renowned Malaysian artistes at the time will perform cultural programmes, including songs in both Malay and Bangla.
To welcome the Bangladeshi prime minister, the national flags of Bangladesh and Malaysia were displayed along both sides of the long road leading to the prime minister’s office in Putrajaya.
At the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Tarique Rahman arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 8:45 pm local time yesterday, Sunday. He was accorded a red-carpet reception and a guard of honour at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The national anthems of both countries were played during the ceremony.
After securing an overwhelming majority in the 13th parliamentary election, Tarique Rahman assumed office as prime minister on 17 February. This is his first official state visit since taking office.