The Kingdom and Malaysia have signed an agreement to host 22,320 Malaysian pilgrims this year.

Malaysian Minister Jamil Khir bin Baharom met with Haj Minister Bandar Hajjar at his office in Jeddah to sign the contract.

Baharam hailed the efforts made by Saudi authorities to facilitate the pilgrimage for visitors, according to a statement issued by the Haj Ministry.

“The Haj minister stresses the need for an orientation program for visiting pilgrims in order to perform their rituals properly,” said the Haj Ministry statement.

Malaysian Consul General Mohammed Khalid Abdul Razak and Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, chairman of the Malaysian pilgrims Haj fund, Tabung Haji, and a member of Malaysia’s Parliament, and other senior officials were also present at the meeting.

Malaysia is one of the few countries with an effective and service-oriented Haj plan.

Tabung Haji mobilizes funds from Malaysians intending to perform Haj and invests the money in stocks, properties, transport, plantations and other viable projects. Tabung Haji is in possession of $14 billion in assets.