KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar will embark on a landmark state visit to Russia from August 5 to 10 at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin, marking the first official visit by a Malaysian monarch to Russia since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1967.
According to a statement from Istana Negara on Saturday, the visit underscores the monarchy’s significant role in advancing Malaysia’s diplomacy and could pave the way for enhanced cooperation in areas such as trade, technology, and higher education.
The Kremlin also confirmed the visit, noting that discussions between Sultan Ibrahim and Putin will cover the further development of bilateral relations and various international and regional issues.
Following his visit to Moscow, the King will travel to Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan—a Muslim-majority autonomous republic—where he will meet with local leaders and tour a helicopter manufacturing and assembly plant, Bernama reported.
As current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Malaysia is expected to play a key role in deepening strategic ties with Russia, which has been an ASEAN dialogue partner since 1996.
The King’s visit comes amid growing engagements between the two countries. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has visited Russia three times over the past two years, most recently in May, as part of efforts to strengthen both bilateral and ASEAN-Russia relations. Anwar has extended an invitation to President Putin to attend the ASEAN summit in October, though it remains uncertain whether he will attend due to an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant. Malaysia is not a party to the ICC.
Sultan Ibrahim is scheduled to receive a state welcome at the Kremlin and meet with President Putin on August 6, followed by a state banquet hosted by the Russian leader.
