Sultan Ibrahim arrives in Bahrain for three-day state visit

MANAMA: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, arrived here today for a three-day state visit to Bahrain.

The special aircraft carrying His Majesty departed from the Royal Terminal, King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, after a four-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, and arrived at the Sakhir Air Base at 3.40pm local time (8.40pm Malaysia).

Accompanying His Majesty on the visit are Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Tan Sri Dr Azmi Rohani.

Sultan Ibrahim was accorded a red carpet welcome upon arrival and was received by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain; Crown Prince Salman Hamad Al Khalifa, who is also the prime minister of Bahrain; Commander of the National Guard Sheikh Mohammed Isa Al Khalifa; and other Bahraini princes at the tarmac.

Present to welcome Sultan Ibrahim were His Majesty’s sons – Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Al- Haj.

Also present were Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, Malaysian ambassador to Bahrain Datuk Shazryll Zahiran, chief of government ceremonies in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Rozainor Ramli and the Istana Negara Grand Chamberlain Datuk Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini.

Sultan Ibrahim was presented with a bouquet of flowers by two little girls before walking with his princes past a guard of honour, where he was greeted by dignitaries from both Malaysia and Bahrain.

Sultan Ibrahim and his princes later departed for the Sakhir Palace in Zallaq for a state welcoming ceremony hosted by King Hamad.

The state visit to Bahrain is the sixth undertaken by Sultan Ibrahim following visits to Singapore, China, Brunei, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

It marks a significant milestone in the history of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and the kingdom, as it is the first such visit since 1974.

Last year, total bilateral trade between Malaysia and Bahrain stood at RM1.19 billion.

Malaysia’s main exports to Bahrain included processed food, palm-based products, electrical and electronic products, and transport equipment, while its main imports from Bahrain were metal goods, metal ores and scrap, petroleum products, as well as iron and steel.

Bahrain remains one of Malaysia’s key trading partners in the West Asia region and is Malaysia’s ninth-largest trading partner, 11th-largest export destination, and eighth-largest import source among West Asian countries.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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