The aircraft carrying Anwar landed at Vladivostok International Airport at 8.33am local time (6.33am in Malaysia).
He was accompanied by foreign minister Mohamad Hasan, investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari, deputy economy minister Hanifah Hajar Taib, deputy agriculture and food security minister Arthur Joseph Kurup and senior officials.
The delegation was received by Malaysian ambassador to Russia Cheong Loon Lai, Russia’s director of the third Asian department Ludmilla Vorobieva, vice-governor of Primorskii region Aleksei Nazdratenko and vice-mayor of Vladivostok Daria Stegniy.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, will address the plenary session of the 9th Eastern Economic Forum tomorrow.
The highlight of the visit will be a bilateral meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin, during which Anwar is expected to reiterate Malaysia’s interest in joining the BRICS intergovernmental organisation as Russia is currently holding the BRICS chairmanship.
On July 28, Anwar said Malaysia had sent an application to Russia to join BRICS following a courtesy call made by Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on that day.
Anwar’s meeting with Putin here will provide an opportunity for both leaders to take stock of and discuss bilateral relations, including trade and investment, higher education, technical and vocational education and training (TVET), agriculture and food security, and tourism.
They are also expected to discuss collaboration in new areas such as aerospace and advanced technologies, and exchange perspectives on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Middle East situation, and discuss cooperation within the context of the Asean-Russia Dialogue Partnership.
Anwar is also expected to meet with deputy mufti Rushan Hazrat Abbyasov, who is the first deputy chairman of the Russia Muftis Council and Religious Board of Muslims, and receive a courtesy call from the rais (head) of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov.
This is Anwar’s maiden trip to Russia since becoming the prime minister in November 2022.