Hitam will formally invite Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed to inaugurate the 1st WIEF regional forum in Dhaka scheduled for November 5 6, 2007.

The two-day forum's objective is to bolster trade and strategic cooperation between Malaysia, Indonesia, Maldives, Brunei and Bangladesh through forging a regional free trade agreement and multilateral public-private partnerships.

Theme of the forum is 'Regional Cooperation between OIC countries in South & South-East Asia'.

The forum will address eight priority areas shared by the five nations' development agendas, including partnerships in human resource excellence; women's leadership; youth entrepreneurship; regional relocation & backward-linkage industries; regional infrastructure; port twinning; government investment management firms; and regional travel for trade & tourism.

Bringing together high-level political and business leaders from the five nations, the forum will jointly facilitate an innovative framework and implementation plan for regional cooperation.

During the one day visit, Hitam will also meet industries adviser and foreign adviser.