By Petronella Sibeene WINDHOEK Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who was in the country on a three-day State visit concluded his mission and left Namibia on Saturday. During his visit, Badawi held official talks which covered a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues of common interest between Namibia and Malaysia. Badawi and President Hifikepunye Pohamba, amongst other pertinent issues asked the business community of both countries to explore existing opportunities and strengthen cooperation in the areas of trade and investment, tourism, manufacturing, mining, agriculture and energy. A joint communiquÃÆ’Æ‘Æ‘ÃÆ”šÃ‚© signed at the end of his visit shows that the two leaders emphasised the need to increase trade and investment between their countries. Pohamba and Badawi further agreed on the need for deepening and broadening bilateral relations through the exchange of high-level visits and bilateral cooperation between the two countries. Badawi applauded the achievements of the Namibian Government in national development and expressed appreciation for the effective policies and measures adopted since independence. Pohamba commended the Malaysian Government for the successes achieved in fast-tracking its socio-economic development through the effective implementation of its Vision 2020 and Industrial Development Plans. The President further applauded the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID), an initiative by Malaysia, which aims at bringing together Malaysia and African countries and a number of other developing countries in a Smart Partnership process. The Government of Malaysia reaffirmed its readiness to continue providing assistance to Namibia, within its capacity, in its efforts towards economic and social development. Pohamba expressed his appreciation to the Malaysian Government for having stood side-by-side with Namibia in these efforts. The Namibian Government also expressed its gratitude and appreciation for the technical assistance provided by her counterpart towards strengthening her efforts in human resource development. The two leaders reiterated their commitment to strengthen regional cooperation and efforts towards the promotion of international peace and security. In this regard, Pohamba commended Badawi for his leadership as Chairman of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) and Malaysia’s role in promoting regional peace, stability and prosperity in South-East Asia. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to find a durable solution to the conflict in the Middle East, including the establishment of an independent State of Palestine on the basis of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. Badawi, in turn, commended Namibia’s active participation in pursuing peace and security on the African continent within the framework of SADC and the AU. With regard to the reform of the United Nations, in particular the Security Council, the two heads of government reaffirmed the need for the democratisation of this vital international organisation. Badawi extended an invitation to Pohamba to pay a visit to Malaysia and participate in the Langkawi International Dialogue in August this year.