Egypt President El-Sisi accorded state welcome at Istana Negara

KUALA LUMPUR: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was accorded a state welcoming ceremony at Istana Negara today on his first state visit to Malaysia since assuming office in June 2014, at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.

Sultan Ibrahim welcomed El-Sisi upon his arrival at 10.08am.

Also present were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, and Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani.

Following the ceremony, El-Sisi inspected a guard of honour comprising 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment.

The welcoming ceremony at the Istana Negara parade square began with a rendition of the national anthems of both countries by the Royal Ranger Regiment band led by Captain Mohd Fahmy Harun, followed by a 21-gun salute by the 41st Battery of the Royal Artillery Regiment.

The Egyptian president then inspected a main guard of honour comprising five officers and 89 personnel from the three branches of the armed forces, namely the army, the Royal Malaysian Navy, and the Royal Malaysian Air Force, led by Major Muhammad Waqiyudin Abd Rahman.

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His Majesty later granted an audience to El-Sisi and the Egyptian delegation, and witnessed the presentation of royal tokens of appreciation at Dewan Seri Maharaja.

Sultan Ibrahim subsequently hosted a state banquet at the Grand Banquet Hall in honour of El-Sisi and the Egyptian government delegation.

El-Sisi's visit is the first by an Egyptian president to Malaysia in nearly three decades.

The last visit, by former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, took place in November 1997 for the G-15 Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Mubarak also paid an official visit as Egyptian Vice President in 1979.

Wisma Putra said in a statement on Friday that El-Sisi, who is accompanied by Cabinet ministers and senior officials, is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Anwar Ibrahim to review progress in bilateral cooperation and exchange views on regional and international issues.

Both leaders will witness the exchange of memoranda of understanding between Malaysia and Egypt, followed by an official afternoon tea hosted by the prime minister at the Seri Perdana Complex.

Malaysia and Egypt established diplomatic relations in 1959.

In 2025, Egypt was Malaysia's seventh-largest trading partner in Africa.

Malaysia's total trade with Egypt was valued at RM3.08 billion (US$0.72 billion), with exports totalling RM2.55 billion (US$600 million) and imports at RM530 million (US$120 million).

From January to August 2026, total trade between the two countries rose by 74.7 per cent to RM3.49 billion (US$870 million).