KUALA LUMPUR, August 14 - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim received a courtesy call from the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, yesterday.

In a Facebook post today, Anwar said the meeting took place at Perdana Putra, Putrajaya, as part of minnikhanov's two-day working visit to Malaysia.

"We had in-depth discussions on strengthening bilateral relations between Russia and the Islamic world, particularly among the Organization Of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states.

"Our talks also touched on Malaysia's potential participation in the BRICS alliance (Brazil, Russia, India, China And South Africa). I reaffirmed malaysia's commitment to joining this coalition, as previously communicated to Russia," he said.

The Prime Minister further noted the meeting provided an opportunity to explore cooperation in various sectors, especially in the halal industry and to enhance collaboration in education.

The Republic of tatarstan is a Muslim-majority region in the Russian Federation.