King Attends State Welcome Ceremony for Jordan’s King Abdullah II

KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, attended a state welcome ceremony at Istana Negara today in conjunction with the two-day state visit of Jordan’s King Abdullah II to Malaysia, which began yesterday.

Sultan Ibrahim welcomed King Abdullah II upon his arrival at 9.50 am.

The ceremony was also attended by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan and other dignitaries.

Also present were Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, along with senior officials from the Hashemite Royal Court and the Jordanian government.

The ceremony began with the national anthems of both countries performed by the Central Band of the Royal Ranger Regiment, led by Captain (Director of Music) Mohd Fahmy Harun, followed by a 21-gun salute fired by the 41st Battery of the Royal Artillery Regiment at the Istana Negara Parade Square.

King Abdullah II then inspected the main guard of honour, comprising five officers and 89 personnel from the three branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) — the Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy and Royal Malaysian Air Force — led by Major Muhammad Firdaus Mat Hayin.

Following the ceremony, Sultan Ibrahim held a private meeting with King Abdullah II before proceeding to the Main Banquet Hall for a state banquet in honour of the Jordanian monarch’s visit to Malaysia.

King Abdullah II arrived at the Bunga Raya Complex of Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 11.13 pm yesterday for the state visit at the invitation of Sultan Ibrahim.

This marks King Abdullah II’s second state visit to Malaysia since May 2008. The visit also comes as Malaysia and Jordan celebrate more than six decades of diplomatic relations, established in 1965, particularly in the field of education.

This year, a total of 1,636 Malaysian students are pursuing their studies at higher education institutions in Jordan, while more than 1,490 Jordanian students are enrolled at higher education institutions in Malaysia.

Beyond their longstanding people-to-people ties, Malaysia and Jordan share a commitment to preserving peace, justice and lasting stability in the Middle East, particularly in championing the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.

Bilateral trade between Malaysia and Jordan reached RM993.4 million in 2025, an increase of 15.2 per cent compared with 2024. Trade continued to grow by another 8.0 per cent to RM740.7 million from January to August 2026 compared with the corresponding period last year.

BERNAMA