London: Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is meeting his United Kingdom counterpart Sir Keir Starmer here on Wednesday. Anwar, who arrived on Tuesday for a five-day working visit to the United Kingdom, was received by Starmer at his office at No. 10, Downing Street at 1 pm (9 pm Malaysian time). Anwar and Starmer then led their respective delegations at a bilateral meeting, focusing on strengthening the long-standing relationship between the two countries.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Anwar is accompanied by Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Senator Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of Higher Education Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Minister of Plantation and Commodities Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, and Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland Datuk Zakri Jaafar. During the meeting, both leaders are expected to touch on various bilateral and international issues.
Later in the day, Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, will attend a product launch by YTL Group UK. The UK is Malaysia's fourth largest trading partner in Europe, with the total trade between them amounting to RM15.30 billion (US$3.34 billion) in the first 11 months of 2024.
Meanwhile, Starmer told Anwar that the UK and Malaysia have a close and historic relationship, and he was delighted to welcome his counterpart to his office. Starmer expressed the importance of this meeting just six months into his premiership and emphasized the modern partnership between the two nations, highlighting areas of shared cooperation, including trade, investment, and education.
Starmer also noted that both countries are committed to net zero ambitions and clean energy, which will support future growth. As a dialogue partner to ASEAN, the UK supports Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship and is committed to building a strong UK-ASEAN partnership, respecting ASEAN's role in maintaining a prosperous, peaceful Indo-Pacific.
The UK and Malaysia also share deep defence links as both countries are part of the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) along with Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.