PM Muhyiddin arrives for official visit to Indonesia

JAKARTA: Malaysia's Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin arrived here today for a two-day official visit to Indonesia at the invitation of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Muhyiddin and his wife Puan Sri Noorainee Abdul Rahman arrived at the Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport here at 4.30 pm (local time).

The couple were met on arrival by Indonesian Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Tun Hussein and Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Datuk Zainal Abidin Bakar.

This is Muhyiddin's first official visit to Indonesia after being appointed as Prime Minister in March 2020.

Recognising the importance of Malaysia-Indonesia bilateral ties and the COVID-19 pandemic challenges, the Prime Minister himself has requested that the visit be held briefly with a small delegation.

On Friday, the Prime Minister will be given an official welcoming ceremony at Istana Merdeka in Jakarta, and hold a four-eye meeting with Jokowi before giving a joint press conference.

Muhyiddin is also scheduled to attend a state banquet hosted by the President.

The visit will provide a platform for the two leaders to further strengthen the bilateral relations and cooperation of both countries.

It would also allow Malaysia to highlight the government's latest policies and its stand particularly on issues of mutual benefits.

Among the issues expected to be discussed are related to the palm oil discrimination, haze, potential investment and trade joint ventures, implementation of the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), and cooperation in addressing COVID-19.

-- BERNAMA