King grants audience to UK chief of defence staff

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah granted an audience to the United Kingdom (UK) Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nicholas Carter on Wednesday (Sept 29).

Istana Negara through a posting on its Facebook page on Friday (Oct 1) said during the 45-minute meeting, Al-Sultan Abdullah and Carter shared their experiences as cadet officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst that they both attended.

The King attended the academy from 1978 to 1979.

It said His Majesty and Carter also discussed bilateral defence relations between Malaysia and the UK as well as the continuous improvement of cooperation between the two countries in the aspects of training and defence.

"Among other current matters also discussed were the Covid-19 pandemic, humanitarian issues, the defence industry, regional security and the latest developments in Afghanistan," read the posting.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed Malaysia’s intention to confer the Knight Grand Commander of the Order of Military Service award on Carter, which would be managed by the Ministry of Defence soon, as an appreciation of his roles in increasing bilateral relations between Malaysia and the UK in the field of defence.

Carter was scheduled to retire in December.

Also present at the meeting were Malaysian High Commissioner to the UK Zakri Jaafar, British High Commissioner to Malaysia Charles Hay, Istana Negara's Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Defence Attaché Brigadier General Safwan @ Asri Ismail and UK Armed Forces’ Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Anthony Rimington.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also attended a reunion with his former classmates at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in London, on Friday. - Bernama