BAKU (AZERBAIJAN): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor arrived in the capital city of Azerbaijan tonight for an official two-day visit to this country in the Caucuses region.
The visit, at the invitation of President Ilham Aliyev, is the first by a Malaysian leader since diplomatic ties were established in 1995.
Najib and Rosmah were received by First Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Yaqub Abdulla Oglu Eyyubov upon arrival at Heydar Aliyev International Airport about 9.30pm (12.30am Malaysian time).
Also present were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and Malaysian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Datuk Roslan Abdul Rahman.
From the airport, the prime minister and his delegation proceeded to the Four Seasons Hotel Baku, where they were welcomed by other delegation members and staff of the Malaysian Embassy and their spouses.
Najib has a packed schedule tomorrow (Friday), starting with an official welcoming ceremony by the President at the Presidential Palace about 10.20am.
Najib and Aliyev will have a four-eyed meeting followed by bilateral meeting between both delegations.
They will also witness the signing of agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) aimed at strengthening cooperation in economic, scientific and technical fields. Petronas will sign an MoU with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) to cover cooperation in the oil and gas sectors.
After Friday prayers at the Ajdarbay (Blue) Mosque, Najib will chair a business round table meeting with captains of industry from Malaysia and Azerbaijan.
After the meeting, the prime minister will officially open the Malaysian Embassy in Baku, located at Jeyhun Hajibeyli, Dalan 2, Ev.1, Narimov AZ1110.
In the evening, Najib will conclude his visit to Azerbaijan by attending a dinner hosted by prime minister Artur Rasizade.