King expresses happiness over PETRONAS-ADNOC cooperation

KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah expressed happiness over the inaugural cooperation between the country’s oil and gas producing company, PETRONAS, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Seri Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the cooperation between PETRONAS Abu Dhabi Sdn Bhd and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has once again proved Malaysian companies’ capabilities to compete on a global level.

"The cooperation also reflects the close bilateral ties between Malaysia and the UAE at various levels, including between the leaders of the two countries and their people,” he said in a statement Tuesday (Dec 6).

The historic agreement between PETRONAS’s wholly-owned subsidiary and ADNOC involves cooperation to explore and appraise Unconventional Onshore Block 1, covering a concession area of 2,000 sq km in the Al Dhafra region.

Al-Sultan Abdullah also expressed hope that the cooperation would open a new chapter of strategic cooperation in various sectors between both countries for mutual benefits and shared prosperity.

Ahmad Fadil said His Majesty also witnessed the agreement signing ceremony between PETRONAS Abu Dhabi and ADNOC in Abu Dhabi on Monday (Dec 5).

UAE president Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al Nahyan and UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also the managing director and chief executive officer of ADNOC were also present to witness the signing of the agreement.

Also in attendance were International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz and PETRONAS president and group chief executive officer Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik.

Al-Sultan Abdullah is currently on a four-day special visit to Abu Dhabi until Dec 7, at the private invitation of the UAE president.

The special visit is His Majesty’s fifth visit to Abu Dhabi since being installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 2019.

Al-Sultan Abdullah has previously visited Abu Dhabi to pay a courtesy call on Sheikh Mohamed on his appointment as the new UAE president and to pay his last respects to the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Sheikh Mohamed Zayed has also visited Malaysia at the invitation of Al-Sultan Abdullah in conjunction with the King’s installation on July 30, 2019.

Al-Sultan Abdullah and Sheikh Mohamed became friends when they met at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom more than 40 years ago.

Both leaders were college mates in 1978 and 1979, and the close friendship between them has remained to this day. - Bernama