By NNN-Bernama,
Kuala Lumpur : Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who arrives here on Monday for the Group of Eight Islamic Developing Countries (D-8) Summit, will have a bilateral meeting with his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
He will also be engaged in similar meetings with leaders of other D-8 members Indonesia and Bangladesh. Other members of the grouping are Egypt, Iran, Nigeria and Turkey.
A Pakistan High Commission official told Bernama Saturday that Gilani would lead a 20-member delegation which included eight members of Pakistan’s National Assembly.
However, Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi is not part of the delegation as he is attending a United Nations-related meeting in the duration of the Summit.
This will be 56-year-old Gilani’s first visit to Malaysia after taking the oath of office as Pakistan’s 22nd prime minister on March 25, this year.
Pakistan’s focus at the summit is expected to be on intra D-8 trade and the need to invest in the Research and Development (R&D) for the development of alternative energy such as wind and solar power in the wake of the dramatic rise of global oil prices.
Trade between Malaysia and Pakistan breached the US$1 billion mark in 2007, and Pakistan expects this to double in 2008, with the implementation of the free trade pact from January this year.
Major exports to Pakistan are palm oil and products, chemical products, electrical and electronic products, machinery and parts and textiles and clothing.
The major imports from Pakistan are textiles and clothing, fresh and frozen seafood, cereals including rice, electrical and electronic products and chemicals and chemical products.
The comprehensive free trade agreement (FTA) for closer economic partnership between Pakistan and Malaysia was signed by both parties in Kuala Lumpur on November 8, 2007.
It was the first between two countries which are members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Notable Malaysian firms that have made inroads into Pakistan include Ranhill Power, Tenaga nasional, Petronas, Bandaraya Development, RedTone, Sapura, Felda, Takaful Nasional and Telekom Malaysia.