Haj Affairs Tops Agenda of King Salman's Upcoming Visit to Malaysia

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 24 (Bernama) -- King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia will make a state visit to Malaysia from Feb 26 to March 1, with the haj and quota issues and strengthening cooperation in related areas at the top of the agenda. Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said the inaugural state visit to Malaysia of King Salman, who ascended the throne on Jan 23, 2015, was at the invitation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (Malaysia's King) , Sultan Muhammad V. He said the last visit by a King of Saudi Arabia to Malaysia was in 2006 by the late King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Saud. The late King Faisal Abdulaziz Al Saud made a state visit to Malaysia in 1970, he added. Speaking to reporters on the upcoming visit of King Salman, Anifah said relations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia were strong. "There is a close personal relationship between the House of Saud and the Malaysian Government. Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have expanded their relations base with greater cooperation in politics, economy, defence and haj affairs," he said. King Salman would be accompanied by a 600-strong delegation comprising members of the royal household and Cabinet ministers, he said. His Majesty would also bring along 200 captains of industries and businessmen who would be attending the business forum on Feb 28 in Kuala Lumpur, he said. "We hope for a good productive visit, and many matters will have had the chance to be discussed frankly and conclusively," he said. Saudi Arabia is Malaysia's second largest trading partner in the Middle East, and trade between the two countries saw an increase of 19.8 per cent last year from the previous year and now totalled RM13.12 billion. Nearly 60 per cent of Malaysia's total exports to Saudi Arabia are related to palm oil and palm-based agricultural products, machinery, equipment and parts, processed food and electrical and electronic products, he said. "However, there is much scope for expansion," he noted. In terms of the way forward, Anifah said, Malaysia forsaw greater cooperation with Saudi Arabia in the fields of, among others, trade, investment, energy, higher education, training and capacity building. He said the Malaysian Technical Cooperation Programme, which the Foreign Ministry administered, had seen 81 Saudi Arabian government officers undergo many different courses offered by the Government of Malaysia. On tourism, Anifah said it was another sector worth exploring and expanding as the number of Saudi Arabian tourists to Malaysia jumped by nearly 24 per cent last year. "This makes Saudi Arabia a primary market of tourism for Malaysia in the Western Asian group," he noted. Investments between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia were already at a healthy level, said Anifah. "However, in the last few years, Malaysian investments have diversified and we are now in other sectors, other than haj-related industries. Anifah said Malaysia was King Salman's first country of visit in Southeast Asia since his ascension to the throne in 2015. He said the state welcome would be held at Parliament Square on the day of King Salman's arrival on Sunday, which would be followed by an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the same day. King Salman would grant an audience to Prime Minister Najib Razak the next day, which would be followed by a delegation meeting. "Universiti Malaya will be conferring an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters on King Salman on Monday while the International Islamic University of Malaysia will be conferring an honorary doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science on Tuesday," he said. Anifah said King Salman, in his role as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, had granted an audience to the state muftis of Malaysia for a discussion on Islamic matters. -- BERNAMA