Anwar Ibrahim is on an official visit to Bahrain since Wednesday and expressed optimism for strengthening bilateral relations after meeting with Bahrain Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

As quoted by Malaysia’s Bernama news agency, the cooperation will cover education, artificial intelligence (AI), tourism, economy, investment, and finance, including Islamic banking and the halal industry.

The visitor noted that the crown prince expressed his intention to visit Malaysia in May, coinciding with the upcoming ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the ASEAN-GCC+China Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia took over the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a regional bloc that also includes Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, and Myanmar.

ef/iff/npg/msm