KUALA LUMPUR, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is optimistic that the official visit of Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs Radoslaw Sikorski to Malaysia will significantly strengthen Malaysia-Poland cooperation. In a Facebook post today, Anwar said he had received a courtesy visit from Sikorski, adding that their discussion focused on efforts to further solidify bilateral relations, particularly in areas such as defence, digital economy, agricultural exports, and the palm oil sector. 'We also discussed ASEAN-EU (European Union) cooperation, considering Poland's role as the President of the Council of the European Union from January to June 2025 and Malaysia's role as ASEAN chair next year. 'The 40-minute meeting also included an in-depth and extensive discussion on pressing issues related to the conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine,' he added. This was Sikorski's first visit to Malaysia since his appointment in December 2023. He was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Defence Pawel Ksawery Zalewski an d Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Michal Kolodziejczak. In 2023, Poland emerged as Malaysia's 8th largest trading partner within the European Union. Between January and July 2024, Malaysia's total trade with Poland increased by 14.7 per cent to RM3.05 billion (US$0.65 billion) from RM2.66 billion (US$0.57 billion) recorded in the corresponding period in 2023. Source: BERNAMA News Agency