(AFP) Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah will make a two-day visit here tomorrow for annual consultations with Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's foreign ministry said today.

The two leaders will hold private talks on bilateral relations, regional issues and current developments in the global arena, the foreign ministry said in a statement issued to Bernama news agency.

The Brunei sultan will be conferred an honorary dictorate in political science from the International Islamic University of Malaysia on Tuesday.

"Malaysia is confident that the visit will pave the way for closer contacts between the leaders and officials of both countries as well as enhancing the already close and meaningful relations between both countries," the statement said.

Last year, trade between the two countries totalled RM979.4 million in Malaysia's favour. For the first half of this year, total trade was RM656.6 million.