KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s new Ambassador to the United States, Tan Sri Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob, has reaffirmed his commitment to further strengthening Malaysia-US bilateral relations during a credentials ceremony with President Donald Trump at the White House.
The Embassy of Malaysia in Washington, D.C., said Muhammad Shahrul Ikram presented his letter of credence to Trump during the presentation of credentials ceremony at the White House on July 24.
The ceremony officially marked him as the 18th Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Malaysia to the United States.
During the ceremony, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram briefly exchanged warm pleasantries with Trump, expressing his commitment to further enhancing bilateral ties, Bernama reported.
He also thanked the President for Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s participation in the recent 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings, held in Kuala Lumpur from July 8 to 11, which reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the region and the strengthening of the Malaysia-US Comprehensive Partnership, the embassy said.
Over the past six decades since 1957, Malaysia-US relations have grown into a multifaceted partnership encompassing political, economic, defence and security, educational, and people-to-people cooperation.
Muhammad Shahrul Ikram is a former secretary-general of the Foreign Ministry and a veteran diplomat with over 35 years of service.
Born in Pahang, he holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Ecology from Universiti Malaya and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2009.
Muhammad Shahrul Ikram began his career at the Foreign Ministry in 1988 as an administrative and diplomatic officer.
Throughout his career in public service, Muhammad Shahrul Ikram has served as Malaysia’s ambassador to Qatar and Austria, as well as a permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.
His previous diplomatic postings included assignments at Malaysia’s missions in Vienna, Washington, D.C., and Beijing.
