PARIS: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has arrived in Paris for his first official visit to France at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron. The Malaysian delegation landed at Pavillon d’Honneur Orly Airport at 4.10 pm local time after concluding a three-day working visit to Rome.
Malaysia’s Ambassador to France, Datuk Eldeen Husaini, along with French officials, welcomed Anwar upon arrival. The visit underscores France’s commitment to strengthening diplomatic and economic ties with Malaysia since Anwar became prime minister in 2022.
Tonight, Anwar will engage with 250 members of the Malaysian diaspora in France. On Friday, he is scheduled for a one-on-one meeting with Macron at the Élysée Palace, where discussions will cover trade, investment, renewable energy, semiconductors, defence, education, digital economy, and artificial intelligence. Both leaders are also expected to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Anwar will also attend Friday prayers at the Grand Mosque of Paris, one of France’s oldest mosques, before delivering a lecture titled ‘Southeast Asia and Europe: Recalibrating the Terms of Engagement’ at Sorbonne University.
The prime minister is accompanied by several ministers, including Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan and Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz. A key focus of the visit is attracting French investment, with Anwar set to meet industry leaders from companies such as Imerys, Arkema, Airbus, and Thales.
France is among Malaysia’s top five trading partners in the EU, with bilateral trade reaching RM15.95 billion in 2024. After France, Anwar will travel to Brazil for the BRICS Leaders Summit from July 5 to 7.
