SAUDI CROWN PRINCE INTENDS TO VISIT MALAYSIA BY YEAR-END - PM ANWAR

RIYADH, April 29 (Bernama) -- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is also the Prime Minister, has expressed his intention to make an official visit to Malaysia by the end of this year, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The Malaysian Prime Minister said this was made known by Crown Prince Mohammed during a dialogue of the Saudi Crown Prince with several world leaders, including the Prime Ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Special Meeting here yesterday.

"He (Crown Prince Mohammed) said he would try to visit Malaysia by the end of this year; (date) not finalised yet," said Anwar.

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Anwar said apart from strengthening bilateral ties between Putrajaya and Riyadh, the Saudi Crown Prince also stressed that Saudi Arabia would focus on large-scale investments in Malaysia.

"I see him (Crown Prince) earnestly wanting Malaysia to be given attention, and in discussions with (Saudi) ministers and companies, the same earnestness is evident.

"I met with the Finance Minister and the Trade Minister (of Saudi Arabia) yesterday, and they also mentioned that the directive is clear, and we hope this can be implemented soon, depending on the readiness and speed of approval by Malaysian agencies," he told Malaysian media at the end of his three-day working visit to Saudi Arabia here today.

Anwar said he had asked Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz to coordinate this matter.

Tengku Zafrul, who was present at the press conference, said Saudi Trade Minister Dr Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi would visit Malaysia next week.

Also present at the press conference was Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Anwar said he also discussed the conflict in Gaza with Crown Prince Mohammed and stressed that this issue would remain a priority for Malaysia.

"I expressed hope that Islamic countries will be united in emphasising that Israel's brutality in Gaza should not be allowed to continue and cannot be forgiven," he said.

The Prime Minister also held bilateral talks with leaders of several other countries, including Iraq, Rwanda, Jordan, Pakistan and Qatar, to strengthen bilateral ties, especially in trade and investment.

Anwar’s meetings with representatives of several international companies also produced positive outcomes, with these corporations expressing interest in investing in Malaysia.

They include France-based global energy provider TotalEnergies and Saudi Arabia-based giant renewable energy company ACWA Power.

Anwar was on a three-day working visit to Saudi Arabia to attend the WEF Special Meeting, which ended today.

The two-day meeting, themed “Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development”, attracted more than 1,000 participants, including heads of state and government, as well as captains of industry.

-- BERNAMA