M'SIAN PM TO VISIT CENTRAL ASIA COUNTRIES

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 15 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi will
make an official visit to Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan from Nov 16 to 20.

He will be accompanied by his wife Jeanne Abdullah, several Cabinet
ministers and senior government officials.

Abdullah will visit Uzbekistan from Nov 16 to 18, where he will meet
Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov and is scheduled to hold bilateral
consultations followed by a delegation meeting.

The Uzbekistan President is also scheduled to host a state banquet in
honour of the Malaysian prime minister during the visit.

Abdullah is expected to wind up his visit to Uzbekistan with a guided tour
of Samarkand.

During the visit, both countries are due to sign two memorandums of
understanding (MoUs) on promoting cooperation in science and technology as well
as in higher education during the visit.

While in Turkmenistan from Nov 19 to 20, the prime minister is scheduled to
hold bilateral consultations with Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhammedov, before leading the Malaysian delegation to a bilateral meeting.

Malaysia and Turkmenistan will also sign an Avoidance of Double Taxation
Agreement during the visit.

The visit is aimed at strenghthening the existing good bilateral relations
between Malaysia and the two countries, especially in the areas of economy and
human capital development, a statement from the Foreign Ministry, said
Friday.

Both countries are also major recipients of technical assistance from
Malaysia under the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme, while Petronas has
been involved in the development of the oil and gas sectors in both
countries.
-- BERNAMA