<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/2023/10/02/president-sheikh-mohamed-arrives-in-qatar-for-international-horticultural-expo-2023/" target="_blank">President Sheikh Mohamed</a> on Thursday received <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/opinion/comment/2023/08/16/malaysias-state-election-results-spell-trouble-for-anwar-ibrahim/" target="_blank">Anwar Ibrahim</a>, Prime Minister of Malaysia at Qasr Al Shati in Abu Dhabi to discuss bilateral ties and explore opportunities for further collaboration. During the meeting, Mr Ibrahim conveyed the greetings of Malaysia's <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/government/2023/07/24/sheikh-khaled-meets-malaysian-crown-prince/" target="_blank">King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah</a> and his wishes for the continued progress and prosperity of the UAE. Sheikh Mohamed extended his best wishes for the continuing development of Malaysia and its people. The two sides reviewed existing cooperation between the UAE and Malaysia and discussed ways to build on these ties, especially in the areas of the economy, trade and investment, renewable energy and food security. They emphasised their interest in establishing a comprehensive economic partnership between the two countries in the near future. They also discussed the latest regional and international developments. The meeting was attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Advisor for Special Affairs at the Ministry of Presidential Court; Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Mohamed Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment; Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State and the accompanying delegation of the Malaysian Prime Minister. It was announced in May that <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2023/05/23/uae-and-malaysia-start-cepa-talks/" target="_blank">UAE and Malaysia agreed to start negotiations</a> on a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement to boost trade ties between the two countries. Non-oil trade between the UAE and Malaysia reached $4.6 billion in 2022, a growth of 5 per cent compared with the previous year and up 31 per cent from 2020. The value of Malaysian investments in the UAE amounts to $150 million across the sectors of industry, building and construction, real estate, trade, transport, storage, financial activities, insurance, and professional and technical activities. UAE investments in Malaysia stand at more than $220 million, including more than $51 million in the industrial sector.