Official visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

During the visit, the Foreign Minister will co-chair the inaugural meeting of the Saudi-Malaysian Coordination Council (SMCC) with his counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud. The SMCC is a bilateral mechanism established to promote cooperation and act as the coordinating body between the two countries on eight key areas, namely political, security, defence military, trade and investment, energy and environment, Islamic affairs, education and socio-cultural.

Both Ministers are also scheduled to sign two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU); an MoU on Co-operation in the Field of Social Development and an MoU on the Mutual Short-Stay Visa Exemption for Diplomatic and Official or Special Passport Holders.

The Foreign Minister will also engage in high-level discussions with other Saudi Ministers, including Minister of Interior His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, and Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfig bin Fazwan Al-Rabiah, to discuss matters of mutual interest and explore new areas of cooperation, paying particular emphasis on key sectors such as security, visas, umrah and hajj and connectivity.

From January to August 2024, Malaysia’s trade with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was valued at RM30.09 billion (USD6.43 billion). In 2023, Saudi Arabia was Malaysia’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, with total trade valued at RM50.52 billion (USD11.06 billion). Malaysia was Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner among ASEAN Member States and the 7th largest globally.

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The press statement is issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia