SEPANG – Malaysia has expressed appreciation to Saudi Arabia for allowing the country to continue the Makkah Route, which started as a pilot programme in 2017, said Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Zambry said Malaysia was the only country selected by the Saudi government for the pilot programme’s implementation six years ago, followed by Pakistan, Indonesia, Morocco, and Bangladesh in the following year.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the government of Saudi Arabia for trusting Malaysia.
“This is one of the best services and I must extend our deepest appreciation to Saudi Arabia,” he said, adding that Malaysia looked forward to cooperating with Saudi Arabia in other areas.
He said this at a media conference after inspecting the special immigration counters for the Makkah Route programme at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here last night.
The Makkah Route is a special programme that speeds up the documentation process for prospective Malaysian pilgrims, said Zambry, adding it was a creative approach by the Saudi government.
“Not all countries get a privilege like this,” he said.
Through the programme, pilgrims no longer have to wait to undergo the immigration and customs process when they arrive at Madinah or Jeddah, as Saudi immigration staff manning counters at KLIA check their passports before departure.
Meanwhile, Saudi ambassador Mesaad Ibrahim Abdullah Al Sulaim wished the Malaysian pilgrims performing haj this year a haj mabrur (pilgrimage accepted by Allah).
“We are happy to facilitate Malaysian pilgrims and Alhamdulillah, Insya-Allah, they will get haj mabrur,” he said.
At the departure ceremony of the first batch of 284 haj pilgrims on May 20, Tabung Haji group managing director and chief executive officer Syed Hamadah Syed Othman said a total of 31,600 pilgrims, Malaysia's official full quota, will depart for the holy land to fulfil the fifth pillar of Islam.
The first flight was on May 21, while the last return flight will be on August 1. – Bernama, May 31, 2023
