Malaysia seeks deeper ties with Saudi Arabia after Hajj minister’s visit

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is looking forward to closer ties with Saudi Arabia, officials and experts have said after the Kingdom’s Hajj and Umrah minister’s visit to Kuala Lumpur.
Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah concluded on Wednesday his three-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation, where he met its new Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, members of his Cabinet and Hajj officials.
After the visit, the Malaysian PM, who took office in November and is one of the most prominent Muslim leaders in Southeast Asia, said in a series of tweets that “the close relationship between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia established over the years is expected to become closer.”
Officials who participated in the meetings with Al-Rabiah told Arab News that the visit has opened doors for cooperation in many areas.
“With a large delegation from Saudi Arabia and multiple engagements conducted throughout the visit with Malaysian ministers, this is a positive signal for more initiatives and cooperation between both countries,” said Amrin Awaluddin, the chief of Malaysia’s Hajj pilgrims fund board known as Tabung Hajji.
He added that while it was especially beneficial to Malaysian Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, the minister’s trip had brought “Malaysia-Saudi relations to another level, forging deeper ties between the two countries.”
Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, and Muslims make up two-thirds of its 34 million population. This year, about 31,600 of them will arrive in the Kingdom to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
To facilitate the journey, Al-Rabiah launched the Kingdom’s Nusuk platform, which allows pilgrims to plan and book visits to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.
The Saudi Hajj ministry also held a session at the Tabung Hajji headquarters to train the leaders of pilgrim groups to improve the quality of pilgrimage services, facilitate their trips and enrich their religious and cultural experiences in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.
Pilgrimage organizers also discussed with the Saudi minister and his delegation possibilities to draw more Malaysian visitors to the Kingdom, especially as its tourism portfolio has been expanding beyond religious destinations and now also covers heritage sites.
“The event in Kuala Lumpur was about the launch of Nusuk, but at our trade meeting with the minister, we discussed issues about airlines, hotels, etc.,” said Razali Mohd. Sham, president of the Malaysian Umrah and Hajj Travel Association.
“Saudi is very friendly, and the system has improved tremendously, and we can go to other places, not just Makkah or Madinah.”
Uzaidi Udanis, president of the Malaysia Tourism Council, who also participated in meetings with Al-Rabiah, told Arab News that the relationship between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia is getting stronger and expanding beyond Hajj and Umrah.
“Saudi is transforming with the latest technology, and there are new things coming out,” he said.
“Malaysians are now more and more interested to go to Saudi, not just for Umrah but also for leisure.”

Malaysia seeks deeper ties with Saudi Arabia after Hajj minister’s visit