BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, Queen of Malaysia, have departed for home after concluding their three-day state visit to Brunei.
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei personally drove His Majesty in a special vehicle to Brunei International Airport on Monday (Oct 15) morning.
Upon their arrival at approximately 9.15am, Their Majesties inspected a static guard-of-honour mounted by members of the Royal Guard Regiment of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces before boarding a special aircraft, which departed at 9.31am.
Accompanying Their Majesties home was Tunku Temenggong of Johor, Tunku Idris Iskandar Sultan Ibrahim.
Present at the airport to bid farewell to Their Majesties were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir, Foreign Affairs Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, and Malaysia's High Commissioner to Brunei Datuk Mohd Aini Atan.
Sultan Ibrahim and Raja Zarith Sofiah arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan on Sunday (Oct 13), marking Their Majesties’ inaugural state visit to Brunei after ascending the throne on January 31 this year.
Their Majesties began their visit by meeting Malaysians in Brunei at an afternoon reception on Sunday.
On Monday, Their Majesties were accorded a state welcoming ceremony at Istana Nurul Iman, the largest palace in the world with an area of 200,000 square metres, listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
In the evening, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his consort, Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha, hosted a state banquet for Their Majesties at the Royal Banquet Hall, Istana Nurul Iman.
Earlier, Raja Zarith Sofiah visited the Gadong Campus of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) to officiate the Malaysia Book Corner, showcasing collaborative research publications between Brunei and Malaysia.
The visit was significant in marking the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Brunei and aimed to further strengthen the close and special ties between the two nations, rooted in the Malay Sultanate, religion, culture, and family bonds.
Brunei is the third country Sultan Ibrahim has visited, after Singapore and China, since being crowned the 17th King of Malaysia in July. – Bernama
