Saudi Arabia's King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud's visit to Malaysia reaffirms a partnership and brotherhood built on mutual trust and respect, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said this could provide an example for the Muslim world and beyond, for the benefit of the peoples and regions involved as well as the world.
"We are also proud that Saudi Arabia and Malaysia have cooperated so strongly to maintain the well-being of, and provide leadership for, the ummah," he said.
Najib alluded to both countries' strong mutual commitment to fight extremism founded on their strong belief in the tolerant, moderate and peaceful nature of authentic Islam.
The prime minister said this in a statement ahead of the four-day state visit by the Saudi monarch from Sunday at the invitation of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong XV Sultan Muhammad V.
He said Kuala Lumpur was honored that King Salman had chosen Malaysia for his first visit to an Islamic country in the region, as well as the first to Southeast Asia since ascending the throne.
Najib said a number of new agreements and memorandums of understanding would be signed during the visit - one of them involves Saudi Aramco and Malaysia's Petronas.
The prime minister also noted that the two countries were bounded together by strong trading links and ever increasing people-to-people exchanges.
He said bilateral trade had been on a strong upwards trajectory in recent years, increasing by 27.8 per cent in 2016 alone, to a total of RM13.99 billion.
"Today, Saudi Arabia is one of Malaysia's largest trading partners," he said, adding that Saudi Arabia investment in Malaysia was expected to create thousands of jobs.
Najib also spoke about Malaysia's pride when its firms had been chosen to undertake projects at some of the most prestigious locations in Saudi Arabia.
This, he said, included operating and maintaining the Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro Southern Line in Makkah, a shuttle train exclusively for pilgrims and working on the Jamarat Bridge and surrounding area in Mina.
"It is also a matter of pride for us that a Malaysian was part of the team that designed the magnificent Makkah Royal Hotel Clock Tower that faces the Masjid al-Haram," the prime minister said.
He said the warmth between two countries was reflected by the fact that Malaysia welcomed over 100,000 visitors from Saudi Arabia last year, a record high, while students from Malaysia and Saudi Arabia benefit from studying in each others' countries.
Najib also noted that spiritual ties between the two countries dated back centuries.
"For Muslim Malaysians, Saudi Arabia as the land of the Two Holy Mosques is the holiest of places and performing the Haj is both a sacred duty and the highlight of a lifetime," he added - BERNAMA
Bernama
Fri Feb 24 2017
Najib also noted that spiritual ties between the two countries dated back centuries. - Filepic
AWANI Ringkas: Goldman Sachs selesai membayar penalti AS$2.9 bilion
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Perdana Menteri akan bertemu Petronas untuk bincang mengenai projek di Pengerang
Beliau berkata terdapat satu lagi aspek yang perlu dibincangkan berhubung komitmen Saudi Aramco memperluas fasiliti di Pengerang.
“Arwah Hail Amir mesra orangnya, mudah berkawan” - Chuari Selamat
Suatu hal yang istimewa mengenai Hail Amir ialah beliau tidak pernah sesekali lupa menghargai komposer dan penulis lirik, kata Chuari.
Ayat 'jika PH ditakdirkan menang' bayangkan moral dan semangat PN runtuh - Fahmi
Katanya, ayat berkenaan juga seolah-olah membayangkan bahawa PN sedia mengaku kalah pada PRK DUN Kuala Kubu Baharu, Sabtu ini.
HSBC yakin Malaysia tidak mungkin ikut langkah Indonesia, Filipina naikkan kadar faedah
Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) tidak mungkin mengikuti rakan bank pusat di Indonesia dan Filipina dalam menaikkan kadar faedah apabila jawatankuasa dasar monetarinya bermesyuarat minggu ini, kata HSBC.
Jualan Proton meningkat 17 peratus pada bulan lalu
Pengeluar kereta nasional itu berkata jualan bagi empat bulan pertama tahun ini turut meningkat kukuh kepada 50,175 unit berbanding 49,702 unit yang dijual dalam tempoh yang sama tahun lalu, katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.
Harga koko tinggi berpotensi beri pulangan besar kepada lebih 5,000 pekebun kecil koko - Johari Ghani
Kerajaan akan menyalurkan peruntukan RM9.5 juta untuk pelaksanaan projek penanaman koko dan pemulihan ladang koko. Menteri Perladangan dan Komoditi, Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani berkata, penanaman koko baharu akan meliputi kawasan seluas 350 hektar manakala projek pemulihan ladang koko akan merangkumi kawasan seluas 2,126 hektar.
Shell bincang jual stesen minyak di Malaysia kepada Saudi Aramco - Sumber
Rundingan bermula pada akhir 2023 dan perjanjian mungkin dimuktamadkan dalam beberapa bulan akan datang, kata satu sumber. Dua sumber yang diberi taklimat mengenai perkara itu meletakkan potensi saiz urus niaga pada kira-kira RM4 bilion hingga RM5 bilion ringgit ($844 juta hingga $1.06 bilion).
Persidangan Antarabangsa Ketua-Ketua Agama 2024 berlangsung hari ini
Tema persidangan 'Kesatuan Dalam Kepelbagaian', sangat penting memandangkan ia satu daripada isu mendesak pada masa ini.
[TERKINI] Kes jenayah Goldman Sachs berhubung 1MDB tamat secara rasmi
Goldman Sachs bantu menjual $6.5 bilion bon untuk 1MDB, yang ditubuhkan bekas Perdana Menteri Malaysia Najib Razak dengan bantuan pembiaya Malaysia Jho Low untuk menggalakkan pembangunan ekonomi.