PUTRAJAYA, Sept 25 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will undertake a working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Sept 26 to 29.

He is scheduled to have an audience with the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.

This will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Sheikh Mohamed’s appointment as the new President of the UAE on May 14.

High on the agenda of discussion between the two leaders is to explore potential areas of cooperation to further strengthen the long-standing and multifaceted cooperation between Malaysia and the UAE, said the Foreign Ministry in a statement today.

Among the new focus areas are digital economy, food security, digitalisation in education, and renewable energy, as well as Malaysia’s participation at the 5-Year Legacy Programme. Both leaders will also exchange views on various regional and international issues of mutual concern and Ummah.

During the visit, Ismail Sabri will also visit Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) where the key focus is potential collaboration between Adnoc and Petronas in oil and gas as well as renewable energy.

In 2021, the UAE was Malaysia's largest trading partner, second-largest export destination and second-largest import source among West Asian countries. For year 2021, Malaysia's total trade with UAE increased by 7.9 per cent to RM22.29 billion (US$5.38 billion) from RM20.65 billion (US$4.93 billion) in 2020.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will be accompanied by the deputy foreign minister and senior government officials. — Bernama