Muhyiddin leaves for official visit to Makkah today

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today departed for Makkah, Saudi Arabia for his maiden official visit to West Asia.

Muhyiddin, in his official Facebook site said the visit was at the invitation of Saudi Arabian king, King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud who is the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques.

"Insya-Allah, I will perform umrah at the Holy Land of Makkah and visit Madinah before the official programme at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh, on March 9.

"Apart from having an audience with King Salman, I am also scheduled to hold a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud, who is the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the government of Saudi Arabia," he said.

He said the visit is very significant as among others, he would be discussing various efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and explore new cooperation in trade, investment and Islamic affairs which could take the existing good relations to an even higher level.

He said matters on haj quota and umrah would also be discussed at the meeting.

"From Saudi Arabia, I will fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to meet the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan and UAE Prime Minister who is also the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al Maktoum," he said.

-- BERNAMA