PUTRAJAYA: German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who is on a state visit to Malaysia, met Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim here on Friday to discuss bilateral ties between the two countries.
Steinmeier, who arrived yesterday for his three-day visit, was received by Anwar at Perdana Putra, which houses the Prime Minister’s Office, at about 5.15 pm.
The German President signed the guest book on level one of the building before proceeding to level five, where the Prime Minister’s Office is located, for the meeting with Anwar.
Among those present were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil and German Ambassador to Malaysia Dr Peter Blomeyer.
Steinmeier’s visit is part of continuing efforts to strengthen existing close ties between Malaysia and Germany.
Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement yesterday that the visit would provide an excellent opportunity for Malaysia and Germany to further strengthen the longstanding relations and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.
The last state visit to Malaysia by a German president was 26 years ago in April 1997.
Germany is Malaysia’s largest trading partner from the European Union (EU). In 2022, Malaysia’s total trade with Germany increased by 10.9 per cent to RM59.87 billion (US$13.62 billion) compared to RM53.99 billion (US$13.03 billion) in 2021.
Earlier today, Steinmeier was accorded a state welcome at Parliament grounds in Kuala Lumpur.
Steinmeier is also scheduled to have an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah at Istana Negara and attend a state banquet tonight.– BERNAMA
