Zambry undertakes maiden official visit to Saudi Arabia starting today

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian foreign minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir will undertake his maiden official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from today until Feb 23

The Malaysian foreign ministry (Wisma Putra), in a statement, said Zambry is scheduled to meet with his counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan to continue the discussion on expanding the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, including the formation of Saudi-Malaysian Coordinating Council (SMCC), as well as to explore new areas of cooperation.

The kingdom will be the first country in West Asia to be visited by Zambry since assuming office as a minister on Dec 2 last year.

"The visit reflects the special and long-standing relationship between Malaysia and the Kingdom, as well as the commitment of the Malaysian Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim towards the Malaysia - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia bilateral relations," read the statement.

During his visit, Zambry will also meet Saudi Arabia's Minister of Investment, Khalid A. Al-Falih to explore new economic potentials between the two countries.

"Malaysian Foreign Minister will also be meeting the Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi in Riyadh for discussion on the ASEAN-GCC Summit, which is scheduled to be held this year," said the statement.

Zambry is also scheduled to have separate meetings with the Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassador Hissein Brahim Taha in Jeddah, and the Secretary General of the Muslim World League Sheikh Dr Mohammed Al-Issa in Riyadh.

Besides this, the foreign minister will hold engagement sessions with the business communities Riyadh and Jeddah, which will serve as platforms for Malaysian businessmen to explore strategic cooperation in business and investment, particularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia remains Malaysia's largest trading partner and the largest source of imports among West Asian countries. Total trade in 2022 was valued at RM45.52 billion (US$10.26 billion) - an increase of 159.2 per cent - compared to RM17.56 billion (US$ 4.23 billion) in 2021.

-- BERNAMA