ISLAMABAD, Oct 4 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said his visit to Pakistan proves the highest commitment among the top leaders of the two countries to improve relations covering various fields, ranging from diplomatic to economy.

According to Anwar, there is great potential in trade relations between the two countries that need to be pioneered involving several projects that will be worked on by both countries.

"The bilateral meeting between Malaysian and Pakistan offers positive returns, especially in improving the existing bilateral relationship, people relationship that has existed for hundreds of years as well as diplomatic relations between the two countries that have existed for a long time,” he told the Malaysian media at the end of his three-day state visit to Pakistan yesterday.

He said that there is a high level of seriousness among the leadership of the two countries to see bilateral relations between Malaysia and Pakistan grow by leaps and bounds after his visit to this South Asian country in various fields.

The Prime Minister admitted that bilateral trade between Malaysia and Pakistan has not been very encounraging with bilateral trade reaching only US$1.5 billion last year even though the two countries have established diplomatic relations since 1957.

The Prime Minister said the leaders of both countries had held serious discussions to increase cooperation in all areas of trade, agricultural technology including meat, rice and the import of palm oil by Pakistan.

Both countries, he said, will also expand cooperation in the area of skilled workers in the fields that are critical at the moment including the field of Artificial Intelligence (Artificial Intelligence), digital and semiconductor.

In addition, the leaders of both countries also discussed the special economic zone and cooperation in the field of defence.

Pakistan according to the Prime Minister has the potential to become a gateway for Malaysian companies that want to expand their markets in Central Asia and West Asia.

Anwar also said, in his meeting with his counterpart, Shehbaz Sharif, they also discussed the current situation in Afghanistan, where they hope for a level of change that can accept the country as a partner in international cooperation.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan who was also present at the press conference said, throughout these three days the Prime Minister has been given high level of recognition by the Pakistani government.

According to him, not only was Anwar awarded Pakistan’s highest civilian award, the Nishan-e-Pakistan, by the country’s president Asif Ali Zardari and awarded an Honourary Doctorate of Philosophy from the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), his official visit to Pakistan was also upgraded to a state visit.

"So, this is a very high honour and we at the ministerial staff level, will organize the work to ensure that this bilateral relationship is enhanced and all discussions and agreements between the two leaders be carried out, God willing,” he said.

The decision by the Pakistani government to upgrade the Prime Minister’s visit from an official visit to a state visit, according to Mohamad, is something that rarely happens and proves the high respect given by the country’s government.

The Prime Minister arrived in Pakistan on Oct 2 and will leave for Bangladesh this morning. — Bernama