KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 — International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz has clarified that he was in Abu Dhabi accompanying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong yesterday, after he was found to be absent from the first Cabinet meeting.

Taking to Facebook, he provided several photos of the deal between state oil and gas firm Petronas and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) inking deals to cooperate in exploring and evaluating Unconventional Onshore Block 1 which covers a concession area of 2,000 square km in the Al Dhafra region in the United Arab Emirates.

"The signing of this agreement shows the competitive ability of Malaysian companies at the international level.

"It also reflects the close bilateral trade relations between Malaysia and the UAE and further enhances the friendship between the two countries,” he wrote. The statement was not released by his ministry.

Tengku Zafrul also said among those present were: Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC managing director Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, and Petronas Group chief executive Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik.

Tengku Zafrul was the only absentee in the maiden unity government’s special Cabinet meeting yesterday.

His absence led to reports claiming he was away in Qatar, but a source later disclosed that the minister was on a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates.

Earlier rumours claimed the minister was not at the Cabinet meeting because he was attending the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar after clocking in for his new post early on Saturday evening.