He said Prime Minister Najib Razak and Hollande were scheduled tomorrow to witness the signing of the deals, which included a defence-related agreement and another on the establishment of a platform for “Sustainable Agriculture Landscapes in Southeast Asia”.
“Other topics of discussion to be highlighted between the two leaders include cooperation in defence, counter-terrorism and trade,” he told a press conference at the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Reezal said the two-day visit, beginning tonight, was part of Hollande’s first visit to Asean, which also includes a state visit to Singapore and Indonesia.
“This visit is very timely as it also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and France.”
He said this was also the second presidential-level visit from Paris to Kuala Lumpur after President Jacques Chirac’s state visit in July 2003.
Reezal said collaboration between both countres covered defence, trade, investment, education and culture.
“The recent arrival of the A400M transporter aircraft is significant as Malaysia is the first non-North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) country to be equipped with the aircraft.”
It was reported that the fourth and final Airbus A400M military aircraft was officially delivered to the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) by Airbus on March 22. The first RMAF A400M was delivered to Malaysia in 2015.
Reezal said last year, bilateral trade between the two countries increased by 6.3% year-on-year to RM15.23 billion.
He said 134,257 French tourists visited Malaysia last year.
Hollande will be given a state welcoming ceremony at Parliament Square here tomorrow morning.
The French president is expected to meet Najib at his office in Putrajaya.
Hollande will witness a static demonstration of the newly arrived A400M transporter aircraft at the RMAF base in Subang.
He is also scheduled to have an audience with Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V in Istana Negara, followed by a state banquet before leaving for Jakarta, Indonesia.