MANAMA (Bahrain): Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the close relationship between His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia and Bahrain's King Hamad Isa Al Khalifa, plays a key role in strengthening Malaysia-Bahrain cooperation.
The Prime Minister said it will also bring greater prosperity to the people.
"I express my deep appreciation to His Majesty (King Hamad) and the Government of Bahrain for their warm hospitality towards the Malaysian delegation during this official visit.
"This audience serves as a platform to further reinforce our close ties through various sectors of mutual interest, particularly in investment and trade," Anwar said in a statement to Bernama here.
Earlier, Anwar had an audience with King Hamad at Sakhir Palace, spending about an hour at the royal venue in southern Bahrain as he concluded his official visit.
Anwar arrived in Bahrain early Thursday (Feb 19) at the invitation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman Hamad Al Khalifa.
This marks his first visit to the Middle East nation as Prime Minister, and was scheduled to return to Malaysia at 5pm local time on Thursday.
Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, expressed admiration for King Hamad's leadership in driving Bahrain's economic growth, saying that it serves as an inspiration for him to further propel Malaysia's development.
"May Allah bless King Hamad and the people of Bahrain, and may our two nations continue to strengthen ties, Insya-Allah," he said.
Malaysia and Bahrain share a long-standing diplomatic relationship, celebrating their 50th anniversary in November last year.
Currently, 297 Malaysians reside in Bahrain, including three students pursuing higher education in the country, which is known for having one of the highest-valued currencies in the world.
On Wednesday, Anwar received an official welcoming ceremony before holding discussions with the Crown Prince at Gudaibiya Palace. Their talks focused on strengthening cooperation in key areas such as investment, trade, Islamic finance and banking, semiconductors and tourism.
Earlier Thursday, the Prime Minister also met with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, Prof Dr Ahmad Muhammad Ahmad At-Tayyeb, who is the Chairman of the Muslim Council of Elders. Their discussion centered on the formal establishment of the council in Malaysia.
During the meeting, Anwar introduced Datuk Mohd Nakhaie Ahmad as Malaysia's new representative in the Muslim Council of Elders.
The discussion also covered the memorandum of understanding for the establishment of an Arabic Language Institute at Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia (USIM) in collaboration with Al-Azhar Al-Sharif.
They also reaffirmed scholarship opportunities for Malaysian students at Al-Azhar University, as agreed upon during Anwar's visit to Cairo last November.
