M'SIA-KUWAIT TIES TO DRAW CLOSER WITH ABDULLAH'S VISIT

By Muin Abdul Majid

KUWAIT CITY, March 21 (Bernama) -- Existing good relations between Malaysia
and Kuwait will further be boosted with the visit by Malaysian Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to this Gulf nation, which offers a lot of potential
to Malaysian companies.

According to Ashaary Sani, Malaysian ambassador to this oil-rich country,
being a developing country like Malaysia, Kuwait offered opportunities in areas
like infrastructure, including housing and the development of satellite cities.

Besides trade and investment, further avenues for cooperation could be had
in tourism, education, "halal" industry, Islamic finance and so on, he told
Malaysian journalists here ahead of the March 21 to 22 visit.

Abdullah and wife Jeanne Abdullah are scheduled to arrive at Kuwait
International Airport Saturday night.

Ashaary said total bilateral trade between the two countries had been on the
increase over the past few years, hitting RM2.95 billion (US$887 million) in
2008 with the balance of trade in Kuwait's favour at RM445.2 million (US$133.7
million).

Kuwaiti exports to Malaysia comprised mainly petroleum and related products
while Malaysia exported wood and electronic items as well as other manufactured
products to Kuwait, he said.

Ashaary, however, admitted that no Malaysian companies were investing in
Kuwait, seemingly bypassing this country in favour of places like Dubai in the
United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

"People tend to be more familiar with these places. I think that it's a
question of perception. People have not been noticing Kuwait but I do feel that
there's vast potential here for trade and investment," he said.

The envoy said the decision-making process of Malaysians intending to do
business in Kuwait may also be swayed by the exchange rate of RM13 to 1 Kuwaiti
dinar.

Kuwait's major investment in Malaysia is by Kuwait Finance House (Malaysia)
Berhad (KFHMB) and Kuwait Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company, with
approximate total investment of US$145 million.

A full-fledged Islamic bank, KFHMB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kuwait
Finance House K.S.C.

On the tourism front, Ashaary said tourist arrivals from Kuwait were
recorded at 18,853 in 2008 compared to 17,650 in 2007 and 13,369 in 2006.

"An increasing number of Kuwaitis are visiting Malaysia. And the feedback
we're getting is that those who had visited Malaysia were very positive about
their experience, telling their family and friends in turn to visit our country.

"This by word of mouth sort of promotion is very effective," reckoned
Ashaary, adding that efforts would also be made to attract more Kuwaiti students
to Malaysia.

Abdullah is scheduled to have an audience with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, meet his counterpart Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed
Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as well as other Kuwaiti political and business
leaders.

A delegation meeting is also scheduled to discuss bilateral, regional and
international issues.

Ashaary said discussions could touch on efforts to promote halal industry
and the Iskandar Malaysia project in the southern Malaysian state of Johor.

According to him, Abdullah's visit had been planned for quite some time and
only now both sides could find an appropriate time for it to happen.

There are about 170 Malaysians working and residing in Kuwait.
-- BERNAMA