RIYADH: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan arrived in the capital of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for an official visit.
The aircraft carrying Mohamad landed at King Khalid International Airport at 11.35 am Tuesday (4.35 pm Malaysia time).
Welcoming him at the airport were the Malaysian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah, and representatives from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On Tuesday, Mohamad is expected to attend the inaugural Saudi-Malaysian Coordination Council (SMCC) meeting, which he will co-chair with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud.
The SMCC is a bilateral mechanism established to promote cooperation and act as a coordinating body between the two countries on eight key areas: political, security, defence, military, trade and investment, energy and environment, Islamic affairs, and education and socio-cultural.
Mohamad is also scheduled to sign two memoranda of understanding (MoUs) following the meeting -- one on the Mutual Short Stay Visa Exemption for Diplomatic, Special, and Official Passport Holders, and another in the Field of Social Development.
On Thursday, Mohamad will also engage in high-level discussions with Saudi Hajj and Umrah Minister Dr. Tawfig bin Fazwan Al-Rabiah in Madinah.
Malaysia is Saudi Arabia’s largest trading partner among ASEAN member states and the 7th largest globally.
In 2023, Saudi Arabia was Malaysia’s largest trading partner in the Middle East, with total trade valued at RM50.52 billion (US$11.06 billion).
For the first eight months of 2024, total bilateral trade was valued at RM30.09 billion (US$6.43 billion).
