RIYADH, April 30 – Saudi crown prince and prime minister Mohammed bin Salman has expressed his intention to make an official visit to Malaysia by the end of this year, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said this was made known by the crown prince during a dialogue between him and several world leaders, including the prime ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) special meeting here on Sunday.
“He (Mohammed) said he would try to visit Malaysia by the end of this year. The date is not finalised yet,” said Anwar.
He said that apart from strengthening bilateral ties between Putrajaya and Riyadh, the Saudi crown prince stressed that Saudi Arabia would focus on large-scale investments in Malaysia.
“I see him earnestly wanting Malaysia to be given attention, and in discussions with (Saudi) ministers and companies, the same earnestness is evident.
“I met with the finance minister and the trade minister of Saudi Arabia yesterday.
“They also mentioned that the directive is clear, and we hope this can be implemented soon, depending on the readiness and speed of approval by Malaysian agencies,” he told Malaysian media at the end of his three-day working visit to Saudi Arabia on Monday.
Anwar said he had asked investment, trade and industry minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz to coordinate this matter.
Tengku Zafrul said Saudi trade minister Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi would visit Malaysia next week.
Also present at the press conference was foreign minister Mohamad Hasan.
Anwar said he also discussed the conflict in Gaza with crown prince Mohammed and stressed that this issue would remain a priority for Malaysia.
“I expressed hope that Islamic countries will be united in emphasising that Israel’s brutality in Gaza should not be allowed to continue and cannot be forgiven,” he said.
The prime minister also held bilateral talks with leaders of several other countries, including Iraq, Rwanda, Jordan, Pakistan and Qatar, to strengthen bilateral ties, especially in trade and investment.
