Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (Source: themalaymailonline) Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi began a working visit to the US on October 6 in an attempt to bolster bilateral ties and speed up the signing of the Homeland Security Presidential Directive No 6 (HSPD-6).
According an announcement from the Foreign Ministry, the Deputy PM who is also Minister of Home Affairs is scheduled to meet with Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson as well as other senior members of the US Administration during the visit.
The announcement revealed that the two countries continue to enjoy close and cordial bilateral relations in key areas of cooperation, including politics, economics, defence and security.
The visit will afford an opportunity to strengthen bilateral relations, including security cooperation in counter-terrorism, trafficking of persons and immigration-related matters.
The HSPD-6 is among the statutory requirements for Malaysia’s participation in the US’s visa waiver programme.
Total bilateral trade in 2014 between the two countries reached 35.7 billion USD, up 7.4 percent compared to 2013. In the first seven months of this year, the turnover was valued at over 19 billion USD, a 6.2 percent increase compared to the corresponding period in 2014.-VNA
