Malaysia’s King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, will make the first state visit of a monarch from the country to Russia in a trip at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin that runs from Aug 5 to 10, the palace said on Aug 2.
“This visit also reflects the important role of the Malaysian monarchy in driving the nation’s diplomacy,” according to a statement from the palace.
The visit will strengthen ties and enhance cooperation in sectors including trade, education and technology, it said.
Sultan Ibrahim will attend a state banquet hosted by Mr Putin, and visit an automotive technology development company as well as the Tochka Kipeniya Technology and Innovation Hub, the statement said.
After concluding the Moscow visit, the King will travel to Kazan on Aug 8, where he will tour a helicopter manufacturing facility.
The visit follows
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s trip to Moscow in May
, where talks covered areas including education, agriculture, food security, energy and defence.
During the meeting, Mr Putin had criticised a UN probe that found his country responsible for the downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which killed all 298 passengers and crew in 2014. BLOOMBERG