The Republic of Tunisia is keen to invest in Malaysia given its large market potential and the fact that Europe was currently facing an economic crisis, says Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hadanzlah.
“They see this opportunity and want their companies to set up base here.
“Their chamber of commerce will identify 30 large companies which Malaysian companies can forge ties with,” he said.
Husni was recently on a two-day working visit to the republic, beginning May 14, which was part of the Member Country Partnership Strategy programme initiated between Malaysia and the Islamic Development Bank.
Under the programme, Tunisia and Malaysia exchange expertise and experience in the financial sector and Islamic banking.
“Tunisia is relevant to Islamic banking. There are five countries under the programme namely Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria.
“There is market of 90 million people and they find the halal industry relevant to them. These countries are a ready platform for us to export our halal products to Europe,” he said.
On another development, Husni said Malaysia was finalising an offer to cooperate, via Bank Negara Malaysia, to provide Islamic banking services in Europe which has a Muslim population of about 22 million people. — Bernama
