The Foreign Ministry has denied bungling Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to Saudi Arabia.
The visit had been meticulously planned since February, the ministry said in a statement today.
Critics have questioned whether Anwar had gone to Saudi Arabia without proper planning after the prime minister was unable to meet with King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed Salman Al Saud.
Wisma Putra said Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir had initiated discussions for the visit with his Saudi counterpart in Riyadh from Feb 19 to 22.
The two foreign ministers discussed suitable dates and expected deliverables for Anwar's trip.
Both the Malaysian Embassy in Riyadh and the Saudi Foreign Ministry also held discussions on the matter, the Foreign Ministry said.
It added that the Saudis then issued a diplomatic note, to both Wisma Putra and the Malaysian Embassy in Riyadh, which stated that Anwar's visit would be on March 22 to 25 and would include an audience with King Salman and the crown prince.
The ministry said the Saudi side also had no issue with Anwar's visit coinciding with Ramadan, and that this had been clearly stated during the discussions.
This appeared to be in response to former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin saying that visiting Saudi Arabia during the first week of Ramadan was unwise as the Saudi official's schedules would go "haywire" during this period.
'PM welcomed as per protocols'
The statement added that upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, Anwar was welcomed with security by the Saudi Royal Guard and protocols by the kingdom's Royal Court.
"The facilities as the country's official guest were also accorded when the PM performed his umrah in Mecca and visited Medina.
"The Malaysian delegation was urged to prolong the visit to accommodate meetings with the kingdom's top leadership, but the offer had to be declined due to the prime minister's prior commitments back home, including attending a breaking of the fast event with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong," the ministry said.
Despite the failure to meet the Saudi king and the crown prince, Anwar still achieved other things while there, including receiving a courtesy call from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation secretary-general Hissein Brahim Taha; witnessing the signing of three memoranda of understanding between Malaysian companies and their Saudi counterparts; as well as addressing the larger business communities in Jeddah, Wisma Putra noted.
In conclusion, the ministry stressed that Anwar's visit to Saudi was arranged professionally and according to the set procedures for leaders' trips abroad.
"The prime minister's visit to Saudi Arabia shows the importance of diplomatic relations and cooperation between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
"Malaysia has always considered Saudi (Arabia) as a strategic partner. In this context, the Foreign Ministry stresses that polemics and baseless notions by certain parties for political expediency will not help the ministry strengthen its diplomacy with other countries." - Mkini
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