King Salman's Malaysia visit to strengthen ties, says envoy

The upcoming visit by Saudi Arabia's King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud will focus on strengthening bilateral relations with Malaysia at all levels, said Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Malaysia Datuk Fahad Abdullah Al-Rashid.

He said the close diplomatic ties, established in the early 1960s, were built on a solid foundation of religious unity and must be nurtured not only for the benefit of the two countries but also for the unity of the Muslim world as a whole.

"There is no doubt that the exchange of trade between the two countries will be one of the main agendas of the visit, but the unity and solidarity of Muslim countries are also important.

"We hope many agreements can be achieved at all levels during the visit," he said to Bernama today.

King Salman is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday for a four-day state visit, during which His Majesty would meet Malaysian leaders, business people, students and muftis.

Fahad said Malaysian technical expertise was increasingly recognised in Saudi Arabia, especially in the transportation system.

He said the acquisition of a contract by Prasarana Malaysia Berhad for the operation and maintenance of the Arafah-Mina metro system during the Haj season was a great example of how the two countries benefited from each other.

"This is how we exchange expertise with other countries. We always look forward to benefiting from the experience of any distinguished country in any sector, whether it is Malaysia or others," he said.

Fahad also said that he expected to see a growing number of Saudi Arabian tourists coming to Malaysia as it was one of the popular destinations among the Saudis.

He said the similarities in terms of religion and Islamic culture prompted Muslims all around the world to visit Malaysia.

Many Muslim tourists preferred to visit Malaysia because the country promoted Islamic values, he said, adding that many Malaysian tourists also visited Saudi Arabia. - BERNAMA