PM Anwar leaves for Indonesia to begin first official visit

The special aircraft carrying Anwar and his wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, took off from the Bunga Raya Complex of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport at about 12.50 pm.

This is Anwar's first official visit to a foreign country since being sworn in as the Prime Minister on Nov 24, last year.

He is accompanied by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and senior government officials.

Anwar is scheduled to meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo tomorrow, which will provide an opportunity for both sides to evaluate the progress of the bilateral ties and explore new options to face the challenges in the region and at the global level.

Various issues will be discussed during the meeting, including economic cooperation and potential investment by Malaysia in Indonesia, territorial and maritime issues, as well as the employment and security of migrant workers from Indonesia.

Both leaders will also exchange their views on regional and global developments, especially the situation in Myanmar and joint efforts to deal with discrimination against palm oil, as Malaysia and Indonesia are the world's largest exporters.

During the visit, eight Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) will be signed by the private sectors of Malaysia and Indonesia, with projects estimated to be worth RM1.16 billion.

In addition, Anwar is scheduled to deliver a public lecture on "Malaysia-Indonesia Strategic Relationship" and attend a gathering with the Malaysian diaspora in Jakarta.

In 2021, Indonesia was Malaysia's seventh largest global trading partner and third largest among ASEAN countries, with total trade of RM95.31 billion (US$22.98 billion).

Meanwhile, from January to November 2022, Indonesia was the sixth largest global trading partner and second largest among ASEAN countries, with trade amounting to 41.7 per cent, worth RM120.26 billion (US$27.31 billion).