PM Anwar Arrives In Paris For Two-day Visit To France

From D. Arul Rajoo

PARIS, July 3  (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has arrived in the French capital to embark on an inaugural official visit to the country. 

The plane carrying Anwar and the delegation landed at the Pavillon d'Honneur Orly Airport at 4.10 pm (10.10 pm Malaysian time) from Rome, where the premier had gone on a three-day working visit.

He was received by Malaysia’s Ambassador to France Datuk Eldeen Husaini and the host's government officials.

Anwar is here at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron.

Eldeen Husaini had earlier told the media that the visit carries an official status and signifies France’s strong commitment towards its diplomatic ties with Malaysia since Anwar assumed premiership in 2022.

 Tonight, the premier will attend a session with 250 members of the Malaysian diaspora in the country.

On Friday, Anwar is scheduled to hold a one-on-one meeting with Macron at the Élysée Palace, with key agenda items including trade, investment, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence, education, digital economy, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Both leaders are also expected to touch on the crisis in the Middle East, especially the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

The premier will attend Friday prayer with Muslim community leaders at the Grand Mosque of Paris, one of the oldest mosques in France.

A lecture by the Prime Minister titled ‘Southeast Asia and Europe: Recalibrating the Terms of Engagement’ will be held at Sorbonne University, a world-renowned institution in the intellectual and cultural spheres.

 Anwar is accompanied on this visit by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri  Mohamad Hasan, Transport Minister Anthony Loke, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, Defence Minister Datuk Seri  Mohamed Khaled Nordin, and Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz.

Also joining the delegation is Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.

As part of plan to attract global investment especially from France, Anwar is scheduled to attend a roundtable meeting with French captains of industry.

Among the companies are Imerys, Arkema, Airbus and Thales.

France remains one of Malaysia’s top five trading partners within the European Union. In 2024, bilateral trade totalled RM15.95 billion (US$3.63 billion), with RM6.26 billion (US$1.49 billion) recorded between January and May this year.

Following his visit to France, Anwar will head to Brazil to attend the BRICS Leaders Summit from July 5 to 7. 

-- BERNAMA