CAIRO: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived here today for a four-day official visit to Egypt at the invitation of Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The special flight carrying the Prime Minister and his delegation landed at Cairo International Airport at 6.30 pm (local time) and was received by Egypt's Prime Minister Dr Mustafa Madbouly, Malaysian Ambassador to Egypt Datuk Mohd Tarid Sufian, and other officials.

At the Presidential Arrival Hall, the Prime Minister inspected the Static Guard of Honour, manned by 16 personnel.

Accompanying the Prime Minister on this visit are Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii, and other officials.

Tomorrow, the Prime Minister is scheduled to receive an official welcoming ceremony at the Al-Ittihadiya Palace before a private meeting with El-Sisi, followed by a bilateral discussion between the two leaders.

Both Anwar and El-Sisi are also scheduled to witness the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs), including one between Malaysia and Al-Azhar Al-Sharif for collaboration with the Faculty of Islamic Studies, and an MoU on cooperation in religious affairs between Malaysia and Egypt.

Egypt was Malaysia's fifth-largest trading partner among African nations last year, with bilateral trade valued at RM3.35 billion.

From January to September 2024, bilateral trade between the two countries reached RM3 billion, marking a 21.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023. This year's trade value is expected to surpass last year's figures.