KUALA LUMPUR, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Malaysia-Europe Forum (MEF) will be officially launched by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on November 12, 2009 here.

    Themed "Towards A New Era in Malaysia-European Union (EU) Relations", the MEF bears the mission to build communities through dialogue, the organizer said in a statement here.

    The statement said representatives of European diplomatic and trade missions, as well as Malaysian companies with an interest in Europe and vice-versa, think-tanks and government agencies are expected to attend the event.

    Institutions and the European business community in Kuala Lumpur are also expected to participate in the forum whose role is to further mutual interest and forge greater understanding between the EU and Malaysia.

    The statement quoted MEF founder Millicent Danker as saying that the forum would be a venue for Najib to outline his administration's approach towards enhancing Malaysia-EU relations in light of an expanding EU.

    Danker also said that the EU had always enjoyed strong partnerships with Malaysia and ASEAN, and Najib could share his views on the ongoing ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement talks.

    According to the statement, the forum will feature a dialogue with Najib chaired by its Patron and Advisor Rafidah Aziz, former Malaysian International Trade and Industry Minister.

    The dialogue will also provide the opportunity to deepen understanding and achieve common ground between Malaysia and the EU on matter of common interest such as trade, investments and sustainable development.