PM Anwar meets UAE sovereign wealth fund managers on Day Two of Middle East tour to boost food, energy, AI, and data trade

ABU DHABI, Jan 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim commenced his second-day visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today by meeting three UAE Sovereign Wealth Fund managers here.

The One-on-One Business Meetings started with Masdar chief executive officer (CEO) Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi, followed by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority managing director Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Mubadala managing director and CEO Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak.

Following the meetings, Anwar will depart to Dubai, about 150 kilometres from here, to have an audience with UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is also Ruler of Dubai.

The meeting will be held at Za’abeel Palace in Dubai.

The discussion is expected to focus on bolstering bilateral ties and exploring opportunities in renewable energy, food and energy security, artificial intelligence and data centres as well as regional and global issues of mutual concern.

The prime minister’s visit is at the invitation of his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Mohammed to attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week here.

Anwar arrived here Sunday for a three-day working visit to the UAE.

On Tuesday, Anwar, who is also Finance Minister, will meet UAE President and Abu Dhabi Ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and then will attend the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) 2025 opening ceremony.

Later, during the ADSW Plenary Session, the Prime Minister will engage in a dialogue titled ‘ASEAN’s Interconnected Future: Linking Energy, Trade & Prosperity’. This aligns with Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship theme for 2025, ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’.

Anwar will also attend the Zayed Sustainability Prize Awards and the ‘Youth 4 Sustainability’ forum.

World leaders expected to participate at ADSW include Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kenya President William Ruto, Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Rwanda President Paul Kagame, Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan and Uganda President Yoweri Museveni.

Others include Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama, Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

This is the Prime Minister’s second visit to the UAE since October 2023 and his first trip abroad since assuming the 2025 ASEAN chair.

A key highlight of the visit will be the signing of the Malaysia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which aims to unlock new opportunities in trade, investment and economic cooperation.

Accompanying the Prime Minister on this visit are Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz and Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir.

From January to November 2024, total trade between Malaysia and the UAE reached RM39.53 billion (US$8.61 billion).

The UAE is Malaysia’s second-largest trading partner in the Middle East, recording RM39.63 billion (US$8.67 billion) in trade in 2023. Malaysia ranks as the UAE’s fourth-largest trading partner within ASEAN and 32nd globally. — Bernama