KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Indonesia is expected to strengthen the national interests of Malaysia and the neighbouring country, according to a political analyst.

Prof Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani of Universiti Utara Malaysia said the strategic cooperation between the two countries promotes more investment in the Halal food sector, given that Indonesia is one of the countries in Southeast Asia that has a large market with a population of over 200 million people.

"This will directly give an opportunity for the people in both countries to invest for shared economic prosperity.

"The close ties between Malaysia and Indonesia will also allow both countries to focus on big issues such as making both countries a superpower or middle power at the global level,” he said when appearing as a guest on Bernama TV’s Malaysia Petang Ini programme titled "Lawatan Rasmi Sulung PM10: Mengukuh Malaysia-Indonesia”.

Elaborating, Mohd Azizuddin said the visit also provided a good opportunity for both countries to strengthen the health tourism and education sectors as Malaysia is a preferred health tourism and education destination for the people of the republic.

The Prime Minister arrived in Indonesia yesterday for his first official visit since taking office on November 24 last year.

In conjunction with the visit, Anwar also witnessed the exchange of nine memorandums of understanding (MoU) and the handover of 11 letters of interest (LOI) between Malaysian industry players and Indonesian companies. — Bernama