MOSCOW: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, landed in Russia today for a landmark six-day state visit. The special aircraft carrying the monarch touched down at Vnukovo2 International Airport at 2.20 pm local time (7.20 pm Malaysian time).
Upon arrival, Sultan Ibrahim was welcomed by Russian Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov and Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry State Protocol Department acting director Georgiy Kuznetsov. Also present were Russian Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Alexander Pankin and Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Nayl Latypov.
Accompanying His Majesty were Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, and Malaysian Ambassador to Russia Datuk Cheong Loon Lai. The ceremony included the playing of both national anthems and a guard-of-honour inspection.
After the formalities, Sultan Ibrahim proceeded to his hotel, where he was greeted by Malaysian embassy staff and 30 Malaysian students.
During the visit, His Majesty will attend a state welcome ceremony at the Kremlin, hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and visit key innovation hubs, including the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute (NAMI) and the Tochka Kipeniya Technology and Innovation Hub.
This marks Sultan Ibrahim’s first state visit to Russia since ascending the throne on Jan 31, 2024. The trip is historic, being the first by a Malaysian Head of State since diplomatic ties were established in 1967.
After Moscow, the King will proceed to Kazan in the Republic of Tatarstan for the second leg of his visit. – Bernama
