KUALA LUMPUR – Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia after a five-day special visit to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the king and his delegation will undergo Covid-19 screening before returning home and upon arriving at Kuala Lumpur International Airport's (KLIA) Bunga Raya Complex.
“Al-Sultan Abdullah will then undergo self-quarantine, as stipulated by the Health Ministry, while the delegation will be quarantined at locations determined by the ministry,” he said in a statement today.
Fadil said the king expressed satisfaction with the visit made at the invitation of Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan.
“Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed appreciation for the crown prince and the UAE government on the special reception given during the special visit, including bearing all the logistics costs for his majesty and the delegation,” he added.
Fadil said during the visit, the king granted an audience to UAE’s Health and Prevention Minister Dr Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owai and visited the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and Masdar City.
During the audience, the king expressed his appreciation to the UAE government for its intention to contribute Covid-19 vaccines for purposes that include clinical research in Malaysia.
The visit to ADNOC and Masdar City that followed gave useful exposure, particularly in identifying cooperation and collaborations in the upstream, downstream, petrochemical, oil refinery and renewable energy sectors, he said.
“The presence of Sheikh Mohamed when Al-Sultan Abdullah arrived at the Abu Dhabi airport and visits made during the trip also clearly shows the closeness of the two leaders forged over 40 years.
“The visit by Al-Sultan Abdullah also portrays the strong bilateral relations between the two countries, besides strengthening the close relationship already established between the two leaders.”
The special visit is the third to the UAE for Al-Sultan Abdullah since being installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong. His first visit to the UAE was from June 12 to 15, last year, and the second, a personal one and at the invitation of Sheikh Mohamed, was from November 29 to December 3, last year.
Sheikh Mohamed had made a special visit to Malaysia at the invitation of the ruler in conjunction with his installation as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on July 30, last year.
Last year, the UAE was Malaysia’s biggest trading partner and export and import source in the West Asia region, with the bilateral trade worth US$6.42 billion (RM26 billion). – Bernama, December 25, 2020