Trade, investment, Rohingya, recruitment and regularization of Bangladeshi workers,   money laundering,  observer status of Bangladesh into ASEAN and social business are likely to be discussed during Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim  short-visit to Bangladesh on October 4, 2024, sources in Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur said.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will visit Bangladesh on October 4, 2024, Friday at the invitation of Chief Adviser to the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus to deepen multilateral relations with the South Asian country, confirmed Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Shameem Ahsan while talking to this correspondent on Tuesday morning.

The Malaysian prime minister will have a bilateral meeting with Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus apart from a few other engagements in Dhaka.

Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur is taking the preparation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Bangladesh, said Shameem Ahsan.

“I strongly believe that this long pending visit of the Malaysian Prime Minister to Bangladesh will be critical in further strengthening the cordial bilateral relations existing between the two friendly countries,” said Shameem Ahsan.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim on August 13 in a phone call with Chief Adviser to the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus said that Malaysia stands ready to extend its all out support to the interim government of Bangladesh.

"Malaysia stands ready to extend its all out support to the interim government. Malaysia is ready to be a partner of Bangladesh in its endeavour to become a prosperous and truly democratic state," he said.

Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus August 27, 2024 sought Malaysia's support for Bangladesh to become a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025, and the Rohingya issue will also be discussed, said a Foreign Ministry official.

Dr Muhammad Yunus sought the support as Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim paid a courtesy call on him at the State Guest House Jamuna . "Bangladesh can be a bridge between ASEAN and SAARC," said the Chief Adviser.

Also speaking on the occasion, Hashim said Kuala Lumpur was going to be the next chair of ASEAN and she would convey Professor Yunus's message to the Malaysian authorities regarding the ASEAN membership. 

The Chief Adviser said Bangladesh has a very good relationship with Malaysia and recalled his friendship with Malaysian leaders, including Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and former Malaysian prime ministers Mahathir Mohamad.

During Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to Dhaka on Friday, Chief Adviser to the interim government Dr. Muhammad Yunus is likely to raise the issue of money laundering with Anwar Ibrahim during his short visit and seek his intervention into the matter.

Several thousand Bangladeshis have their second home in Malaysia and dozens of Bangladeshis linked with previous Bangladesh Awami League are allegedly siphoned off several billion US dollars out of the country during the last 15 years in countries like the USA, Canada, the UK, Portugal, Singapore, Malaysia, UAE and Australia.    

The labour market in Malaysia has been closed since June, 2024 and Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus is also likely to raise the issue with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and reopen the labour  market soon.

At least seven Malaysian universities have Yunus Centre, promoting social business ideas he champions and his three-zero concepts.

Malaysian companies, including several owned by its sovereign funds, have invested more than $5 billion in Bangladesh and are now willing to invest more, including in education.

A second Malaysian car manufacturer has signed an agreement with a Chattogram-based company for distributing and assembling cars.

Malaysia says they could be a desired destination for medical tourism, saying the Bangladeshi people can do essential medical treatment in the country at an affordable price.

Malaysia says they could be a desired destination for medical tourism, saying the Bangladeshi people can do essential medical treatment in the country at an affordable price.

Meanwhile, Malaysia is the 8th largest investor in Bangladesh, the official mentioned.

"Apart from manpower issues, other ongoing cooperation including potential areas will come up for discussion," he said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Shameem Ahsan in an interview with this correspondent said “Malaysian government halted entry of foreign workers from all source countries after 31 May, 2024. Malaysian Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution earlier explained that the deadline would enable the government to evaluate the effectiveness of the initiatives implemented and accurately assess the need for foreign labour in the country.

However, recruitment at Sarawak State, an autonomous state, remained open and we have been receiving demand letters even after the above restriction which remains in force to streamline the manpower recruitment policies from source countries. Recently, Malaysia has started giving quota approval only for the plantation sector. Bangladesh High Commission has received few demand letters for attestation. We remain pro-actively engaged so that the market is fully opened for us in the near future.”

Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Shameem Ahsan while talking to this  correspondent said “We have significant trade relations with Malaysia. Our two-way trade is around US$ 4 billion. The trade relationship between Bangladesh and Malaysia remains strong, though it has faced challenges due to the recent unrest in Bangladesh. However, the long-standing partnership, supported by Malaysia’s demand for Bangladeshi products and Bangladesh’s dependence on Malaysian imports like palm oil and machinery, provides a solid foundation for recovery. Both countries have mutual interests in maintaining and expanding this economic relationship.

Economic diplomacy and ongoing negotiations to explore new avenues for bilateral cooperation also help offset some of the temporary disruptions caused by the unrest. It is notable that, during the January-June, 2024 period the bilateral trade between the two countries was USD 1.53 billion.

Malaysia is currently the 8th largest investor to Bangladesh. A total of 386 Malaysian companies are registered and doing business smoothly in Bangladesh. The total FDI stock of Malaysia in Bangladesh is 856.23 million US$ [December 2023] Bangladesh has further room for Malaysian investors to forge mutually beneficial economic ventures. We have been urging potential investors to invest more in Bangladesh, particularly in the 100 Economic Zones.  Malaysia can also build a dedicated country-specific “Economic Zone” like China, Japan, South Korea and India to take advantage of Bangladesh’s geo-economic position between/among China, India, and ASEAN.

Malaysia is currently the 8th largest investor to Bangladesh. A total of 386 Malaysian companies are registered and doing business smoothly in Bangladesh. The total FDI stock of Malaysia in Bangladesh is 856.23 million US$ [December 2023] Bangladesh has further room for Malaysian investors to forge mutually beneficial economic ventures. We have been urging potential investors to invest more in Bangladesh, particularly in the 100 Economic Zones.  Malaysia can also build a dedicated country-specific “Economic Zone” like China, Japan, South Korea and India to take advantage of Bangladesh’s geo-economic position between/among China, India, and ASEAN.