In their one-hour meeting, Mahathir and Bishop discussed how to further strengthen bilateral relations between Malaysia and Australia, and also touched on regional and global issues.

Bishop, who was accompanied by Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia Andrew Goledzinowski, arrived at the foundation at 11.30am.

She is on a three-day visit to Malaysia which began on Tuesday.

Wisma Putra, in a statement on Tuesday, said the purpose of the visit was to strengthen relations with the new government and ensure the continuity of existing bilateral relations.

It also said that Bishop’s visit would provide opportunities for Australia and Malaysia to explore as well as strengthen existing relations under the strategic partnership arrangement in various fields, including trade and investment, education, tourism, defence and people-to-people relations.