ABU DHABI, Sept 26 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has arrived in Abu Dhabi for a four-day working visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) beginning today.

The plane carrying the prime minister and his delegation touched down at the Abu Dhabi International Airport at 8.25am (12.20pm Malaysian time).

He was received by UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Mohammed Al Mazrouei, UAE's Ambassador to Malaysia Khalid Ghanim Mohammed Alghaith and Malaysian Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Kamarudin Jaffar.

Ismail Sabri will kick off his stay here today by visiting the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) where the key focus is potential collaboration between Adnoc and Malaysia's Petronas in oil and gas as well as renewable energy.

In the evening, the prime minister is scheduled to have an audience with UAE President 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.

Among the new focus areas are digital economy, food security, digitalisation in education, and renewable energy, as well as Malaysia’s participation at the Five-Year Legacy Programme.

Both leaders will also exchange views on various regional and international issues of mutual concern and on the ummah.

On Tuesday, the prime minister is scheduled to witness the exchange of a memorandum of understanding between Ranhill Utilities and Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC – MASDAR.

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 the 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. — Bernama