PRIME Minister Anwar Ibrahim has arrived in Thailand for a two-day official visit to elevate bilateral ties and strengthen cooperation between Malaysia and the neighbouring kingdom.

The special aircraft carrying Anwar and his wife, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, landed at the Military Air Terminal 2 at 1pm (local time).  

He was greeted upon arrival by Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, representing the Thai government. 

Also present was Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir and Malaysian ambassador to Thailand Jojie Samuel.

It is Anwar’s maiden visit to Thailand after being sworn in as the 10th prime minister of Malaysia. The visit is at the invitation of Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha.

The Malaysian delegation also includes Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, and top officials from the relevant ministries and agencies.

A tight schedule awaits the prime minister during the visit, which will kick off with tea with the Malaysians living in Thailand.

Anwar will attend a welcoming ceremony presided by Prayuth at the Government House and the leaders will then hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the way forward in strengthening multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

Focus areas include economic cooperation, border area development and key connectivity projects crossing the land borders. 

Later, Anwar and Prayuth will witness the signing and exchange of four memoranda of understanding to explore potential cooperation in the fields of energy and digital economy. 

Anwar will later attend an official dinner hosted by Prayuth before concluding the day’s programme.

On the second day of his visit, Anwar is scheduled to give a speech on “The Future of Asean” during a meeting with the captains of industry and the business community, followed by a networking lunch.

He would also join the congregation to perform Friday prayers at the Islamic Centre of Thailand. 

Anwar is scheduled to depart or home tomorrow at 5pm local time.

This is Anwar’s fourth international official visit after Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore since taking office on November 24 last year. – Bernama, February 9, 2023.