RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Malaysia will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on security policy cooperation during the visit of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who will arrive in Jeddah on Wednesday.
The MoU will increase cooperation between Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur in fighting terrorism, drug trafficking, falsifying documents and cross-border crimes.
“The Malaysian prime minister, who will lead a 90-member delegation including four federal ministers, will arrive in Riyadh on Friday and will hold talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah,” said Syed Omar Mohammed Al-Saggaf, Malaysian ambassador, on Tuesday. During his four-day visit to the Kingdom, Najib will also call on Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation.
Al-Saggaf said that the prime minister’s talks would focus on subjects including issues within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), regional subjects and international issues of common concerns. The four federal ministers accompanying Najib will be Minister of Foreign Affairs Anifa Aman, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of Home Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein, and Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
There will also be separate meetings between Saudi and Malaysian officials, ministers and businessmen on the sidelines of the visit, said the Malaysian diplomat.
Asked about the details of the proposed security cooperation agreement, Al-Saggaf did not provide details.
A report, however, carried in the Malaysian media, said that the security pact would be signed during Najib’s visit with an aim to improving bilateral initiatives and boosting cooperation between security agencies and the police force. “The draft MoU has been fine-tuned to be signed in Riyadh,” said the report.
Referring to the growing relations between Riyadh and Kuala Lumpur, Al-Saggaf said that Malaysia was keen to boost cooperation in a number of fields including economy, science, IT and trade. “The visit is also a strong indication of Malaysia’s keen interest in promoting closer interaction among the business communities of the two countries,” said the ambassador. Kuala Lumpur, he said, would also like to stress its role as a center of excellence in education, especially for students from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.
On the commercial front, the two countries have close relations with several private sector companies evincing keen interest in business ties. The two countries, Al-Saggaf, said had established a $2.5 billion partnership fund to invest in oil, gas and real estate projects. After his visit to the Kingdom, Najib will go to Abu Dhabi, where he will attend the World Future Energy Summit on Jan. 18.
