MOSCOW: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, has arrived in Moscow at the special invitation of the Russian government as a guest of honour for the Victory Day celebrations.
According to a report by Astro Awani, His Majesty’s private aircraft landed at Vnukovo-2 International Airport at 4.20pm local time on Wednesday.
Sultan Ibrahim was welcomed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, director-general of Russia’s Protocol Department Bogdashev Igor Viktorovich and Malaysia’s Ambassador to Russia Datuk Cheong Loon Lai.
The invitation from President Vladimir Putin reflects Russia’s high regard for Malaysia and the strengthening of bilateral ties between the two countries.
The visit also continues Malaysia-Russia diplomatic engagement, following Sultan Ibrahim’s historic trip last year as the first Malaysian head of state to make a state visit to Russia since diplomatic relations were established in 1967.
Victory Day, observed on May 9, commemorates Russia’s victory in World War II. Sultan Ibrahim’s attendance is expected to be among the highlights of the historic celebrations.
