The aircraft carrying the prime minister landed at the Berlin Brandenburg Airport at 10.29pm (5.29am Monday, Malaysian time).
On hand to welcome Anwar at the airport were foreign minister Mohamad Hasan, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Germany Adina Kamarudin and German government officials.
On Monday, the prime minister is scheduled to visit Siemens Energy before holding a bilateral meeting with his German counterpart, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, besides paying a courtesy call on President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The leaders are expected to discuss the progress of Malaysia-Germany relations, particularly economic cooperation, education, environment and sustainability, as well as exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual interest.
During his six-day visit, which also includes the harbour city Hamburg, Anwar will meet captains of industry and potential investors such as Schott AG, Infineon Technologies AG, Melexis dan Airbus, as well as a session with the Malaysian diaspora in the country.
Also accompanying Anwar were investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, and entrepreneur and cooperatives development minister Ewon Benedick.
While in Berlin, the prime minister will have a speaking engagement at Körber Foundation, a non-profit organisation focusing on social and political issues, and deliver a keynote address at the SME Future Day 2024 hosted by the German Association of Small and Medium-sized Businesses (Bundesverband mittelständische Wirtschaft – BVMW).
In Hamburg, Anwar will attend the 101st East Asia Friendship Dinner (Ostasiatisches Liebesmahl) hosted by the German Asia-Pacific Business Association, where he is scheduled to deliver an address.
Germany has been Malaysia’s largest trading partner among EU member countries since 2000, while Malaysia is the largest trading partner for Germany among Asean member states.
In 2023, Malaysia’s total trade with Germany increased by 5.9% to RM63.45 billion (US$13.90 billion) as compared to RM59.87 billion (US$13.62 billion) in 2022.