KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah was accorded a state welcome at Istana Negara today in conjunction with his three-day state visit to Malaysia.

On arrival at the palace at 11am, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his consort Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha were greeted by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.

Present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and Cabinet ministers.

The state welcoming ceremony began with the singing of the national anthems of the two countries by the Royal Malay Regiment central band, followed by a 21-gun salute.

The Sultan of Brunei then inspected a guard of honour mounted by four officers and 103 rank-and-file personnel of the First Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.

Sultan Hasanal Bolkiah and Al-Sultan Abdullah then planted a Simpor tree (Dillenia Suffroticosa) in the palace compound, witnessed by Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, Tunku Azizah, Anwar and Dr Wan Azizah.

The two kings then held a meeting, during which they discussed matters concerning bilateral relations between Malaysia and Brunei which had existed for so long.

Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong also hosted a state banquet in honour of the visiting monarch.

The Sultan of Brunei is scheduled to have a meeting with Anwar at the Seri Perdana in Putrajaya this afternoon and also to witness the signing of several bilateral instruments between the two countries.

Tonight, the Brunei Sultan is also scheduled to attend a dinner hosted by the Prime Minister at the Malaysian Petroleum Club located in the iconic Petronas Twin Towers.

In 2019, Al-Sultan Abdullah undertook a three-day state visit to Brunei to strengthen the existing ties and bilateral relations between the two countries.

Brunei was the first country visited by Al-Sultan Abdullah after his appointment as Malaysia’s 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

In 2022, Brunei was Malaysia’s 26th largest trading partner and the 6th largest within ASEAN with a total trade amounting to RM13.22 billion (US$2.98 billion), an increase of 68.4 per cent compared to the recorded value in 2021. — Bernama