The Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) and Dhaka University (DU) Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the setting up of the Centre for Malay Studies in Bangladesh.

The High Commission of Malaysia in Dhaka said it strongly advocated for the establishment of the Centre for Malay Studies to advance the Malay language at international fora.

The Centre will also showcase a unique Malay culture and tradition as well as the best quality of Malaysian education.

Professor Md Amin Md Taff, vice-chancellor of UPSI, and Professor Md Akhtaruzzaman, vice-chancellor of DU, signed the MoU.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Haznah Md Hashim, Professor Marzita Puteh, deputy vice-chancellor (academic and internationalisation) at UPSI, Associate Professor Mazura, dean of Faculty of Languages and Communication at UPSI, and Professor ABM Razaul Karim Faquire, director of the Institute of Modern Languages at DU, were also present at that time.

Malay language or Bahasa Melayu was a lingua franca which was widely spoken in commerce and diplomacy in the past and is now spoken by about 300 million people in Southeast Asia.

This establishment of the Centre for Malay Studies at DU is indeed a significant step towards strengthening the bilateral relations to mark the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Bangladesh, the Malaysian High Commission said.

Malaysia enjoys close bilateral ties with Bangladesh. It was the first predominantly Muslim nation to recognise Bangladesh's sovereignty in 1971, which was followed by an official correspondence on 31 January 1972.