MOSCOW: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, arrived in Russia on Tuesday (Aug 5) for a six-day official state visit — his first to the country.

The King’s special aircraft landed at Vnukovo2 International Airport at 2.20pm local time (7.20pm Malaysian time), where he was welcomed by Russian Science and Higher Education Minister Valery Falkov and Acting Director of the Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s State Protocol Department, Georgiy Kuznetsov.

Also present to receive His Majesty were Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Pankin, Russian Ambassador to Malaysia Nayl Latypov, Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin (minister-in-attendance), Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, and Malaysian Ambassador to Russia Datuk Cheong Loon Lai.

Following the playing of the national anthems of both nations, Sultan Ibrahim inspected a guard-of-honour with Falkov and Kuznetsov before greeting dignitaries from Malaysia and Russia. The ceremonial march-out of the guard-of-honour marked the conclusion of the welcoming ceremony, after which His Majesty proceeded to his hotel in Moscow.

At the hotel, the King was greeted by Malaysian Embassy staff, their families, and 30 Malaysian students studying in Russia.

During the visit, Sultan Ibrahim will be accorded a state welcome ceremony at the Kremlin, hold official talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and attend a state banquet hosted by the President. He will also visit the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute (NAMI) and the Tochka Kipeniya Technology and Innovation Hub.

After completing his programme in Moscow, the King will travel to Kazan, in the Republic of Tatarstan, for the second leg of his visit.

Sultan Ibrahim, who ascended the throne on Jan 31, 2024, is visiting Russia at Putin’s invitation. The trip is considered historic as it marks the first state visit by a Malaysian Head of State to Russia since diplomatic ties were established in 1967.

This marks Sultan Ibrahim’s fourth state visit, following earlier trips to Singapore, China, and Brunei.

Source: Bernama

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Bernard Lee
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