By Mohd Ashraf Syafiq Mazlan
RIYADH, Nov 4 (Bernama) -- His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, was accorded a state welcoming ceremony at the Al-Yamamah Palace here today in conjunction with his four-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, which began yesterday.
The event commenced at about 1.30 pm (6.30 pm Malaysia time), with Sultan Ibrahim received by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
During the state welcoming ceremony, the national anthems of both countries were played, and His Majesty and the Crown Prince inspected the guard of honour before proceeding to the entrance of Al-Yamamah Palace.
Officials from both Saudi Arabia and Malaysia were then introduced to Sultan Ibrahim and the Crown Prince before they proceeded to the audience room.
Following the meeting, His Majesty attended a state banquet at the same venue, hosted by the Crown Prince, before departing for his hotel in Riyadh.
His Majesty arrived at the Royal Terminal of the King Khalid International Airport here at 12.30 pm yesterday, marking the first state visit by a Malaysian King to Saudi Arabia since the late Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah’s visit in 1984.
Sultan Ibrahim was accompanied by Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj and Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
In a statement, Istana Negara said the state visit reflected the continued commitment of Malaysia and Saudi Arabia to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation in various areas, including economy, geopolitics, defence and Islamic affairs.
The statement noted that during the first 10 months of this year, there had been a total of 12 high-profile visits between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is Malaysia’s 14th largest trading partner, with total trade amounting to RM44.74 billion (USD9.79 billion).
This is the fifth state visit by Sultan Ibrahim after Singapore, China, Brunei and Russia.
-- BERNAMA
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