Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Pakistan on Wednesday on a three-day visit to the South Asian country at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif welcomed the delegation led by his Malaysian counterpart. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and members of the federal cabinet were also present for the reception.

A 21-gun salute was given to the Malaysian PM and children dressed in traditional clothes presented flowers to him.

A “high-level” delegation comprising ministers, deputy ministers and senior officials accompanied him during the visit.

“Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will hold meetings with Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. The two sides will discuss a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia ties in diverse fields including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, halal industry, tourism, cultural exchanges and people-to-people contacts. They will also discuss regional and global developments,” according to the Foreign Office statement issued on Tuesday.

“Pakistan and Malaysia enjoy strong bilateral ties anchored in history, culture and faith. This visit provides an important opportunity to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia relations.”

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited his Malaysian counterpart to visit the South Asian country during a meeting on the sidelines of a two-day World Economic Forum summit in Saudi Arabia’s capital of Riyadh.

During the meeting, both sides agreed to further develop relations.

“The two leaders also agreed to hold the next meeting of the Joint Ministerial Commission in Islamabad soon,” Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement. “The prime minister reiterated his invitation to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to pay an official visit to Pakistan.”

The two leaders discussed bilateral ties in the fields of education, science and technology, livestock and trade, and vowed to further enhance cooperation in the future. The PM also invited Malaysian traders and businessmen to visit Pakistan to discuss the expansion of bilateral trade and investment relations.