Malaysia-Saudi Arabia bilateral relations built on strong foundation

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's bilateral relations with Saudi Arabia stand on a very strong foundation based on shared common values and aspirations in fostering unity of the ummah, says former foreign minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar (pix).
Referring to the upcoming state visit of King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia to Malaysia, Syed Hamid said the visit was clear evidence of how both countries valued this relationship.
"This visit will undoubtedly further enhance and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in all aspects of their bilateral relations including economic, political, security and unity of the ummah," he told Bernama in an interview.
Syed Hamid believes that apart from Haj affairs, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia would also discuss other matters like terrorism, Islamophobia, image of Islam and Muslims, position of Muslim refugees, and on how both countries could promote moderation and conflict prevention.
Professor at the Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Dr Maszlee Malik believes that both countries will also discuss on education, social aspects and tourism, besides economic, religious and Haj matters.
"Relations between the people of both countries have existed long before Malaysia was formed. In fact, the propagation of Islamic religious knowledge in the country in the early part of the 20th century was influenced by its surge in Arab Saudi.
"And since the last decade, Malaysia has become a tourism and higher education destination for many Saudi Arabians. "On the other hand, there are many Malaysians residing in Saudi Arabia as professionals, epecially in the oil and gas, financial and medical sectors," he noted.
Maszlee said also currently, the geopolitical situation in West Asia had prompted both countries to explore military cooperation.
This relationship, he said, would continue to enable both countries to safeguard their respective interests while not creating sensitive issues which could harm that relationship.
He said the long-standing bilateral relations could be expanded by having more twin cities between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
He added that the relations could be further enhanced by building more branch campuses of Saudi Arabian universities in Malaysia, besides establishing twin programmes between the universities of both countries.
"The Saudi Arabian government, on the other hand, can hire experts from Malaysia's automobile industry and in the fields of marine science and agriculture fertigation to develop these sectors there," he said.
Geostrategist Prof Dr Azmi Hassan from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia said Malaysia was an important country in Saudi Arabia's geostrategic radar in enhancing its foreign relations and in sharing experience on various issues, as well as expertise in areas such as economy and defence.
Azmi said Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur had cooperated and assisted one another a lot including in the fight against terrorism and Islamophobia.
"This visit shows the trust and appreciation of King Salman towards Malaysia as an Islamic nation. This visit is also very significant from the geopolitics of both countries.
"Kuala Lumpur should reciprocate Riyadh's trust by playing its role and shouldering its responsibilities accordingly," said Azmi, who expects the discussions between both countries to touch on bilateral issues, the economy and trade.
Raja Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud will be making a state visit to Malaysia from Feb 26 to March 1, with matters related to Haj and the Haj quota, besides efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation in various areas as part of the discussion agenda.
This is King Salman's first official visit to Malaysia since ascending the throne on Jan 23, 2015, at the invitation of Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V.
The last official visit to Malaysia by a Saudi Arabian ruler was made by the late King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Saud in 2006. The late King Faisal Abdulaziz Al-Saud had made a state visit to Malaysia in 1970. — Bernama