MANAMA, Nov 6 — His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, arrived for a three-day state visit to Bahrain starting today.
The special aircraft carrying the sovereign departed from the Royal Terminal of thje King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh after a four-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, and arrived at the Sakhir Air Base at 3.40pm (8.40pm Malaysian time).
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 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 cum Prime Minister Salman Hamad Al Khalifa, Commander of the National Guard Sheikh Mohammed Isa Al Khalifa, and other members of the Bahrain royal family at the tarmac.
Present to welcome the King 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, Malaysia’s Ambassador to Bahrain Datuk Shazryll Zahiran, Chief of Government Ceremonies in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Rozainor Ramli and the Grand Chamberlain of Istana Negara Datuk Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini.
Sultan Ibrahim was presented with a bouquet of flowers by two little girls before walking with the princes past a guard of honour, where dignitaries from both Malaysia and Bahrain greeted him.
The King and the 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 (US$0.26 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 West Asia and is Malaysia’s ninth-largest trading partner, 11th-largest export destination, and 8th-largest import source among West Asian countries.
