DOHA: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was accorded an official welcome by the government of the state of Qatar upon his arrival for a three-day visit here today.
He was given the official reception by the Amiri Diwan, which is the name of the sovereign body of the country as well as the building which houses the administration
The Amiri Diwan includes Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who welcomed Anwar in a ceremony at 10.30am (3.30pm Malaysian time) today.
Anwar arrived in Qatar last night at the invitation of the Emir of Qatar. The visit is being held in conjunction with the 50 years of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Qatar since 1974.
This is Anwar's first visit to Qatar since becoming Malaysia's 10th prime minister in November 2022, and his agenda includes attending the Doha Economic Forum (DEF) 2024.
Accompanying him on the visit are the Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan; Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz; and Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.
During the visit to the Amiri Diwan, Anwar had the opportunity to conduct a one-on-one meeting with the Emir of Qatar.
He also held a meeting with his counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the Foreign Minister of Qatar.
The second meeting between Anwar and Sheikh Mohammad, after both met in Riyadh late last month, is significant in the context of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Malaysia is among the countries that strongly voices issues related to Palestine, while Qatar plays a significant role as a diplomatic bridge in addressing the same issues, including being a key mediator in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Palestine.
The prime minister will have a busy schedule in Qatar, which boasts the world's highest per capita income, with one of the main missions being to attract investments to Malaysia.
The bilateral trade between Malaysia and Qatar in 2023 amounted to RM4.2 billion, consistently the highest since recording the figure of US$1 billion in 2022.