Malaysia rolls out red carpet for Saudi king
Development (RAPID) project, a boost for the Southeast Asian economy which has been reeling under weak global oil prices.
Relations between the two countries have been in the spotlight over the last two years after Saudi Arabia was dragged into a multibilliondollar corruption scandal at Malaysian state fund 1MDB, founded by Najib.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing in the money laundering case which is now being investigated by several countries including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.
A Malaysian government inquiry found that nearly $700 million transferred to the prime minister’s bank account in 2013 was a donation from the Saudi royal family and most of it was returned.
The last time a Saudi king visited Malaysia was in 2006, when King Abdullah, King Salman’s half-brother and predecessor, flew in with a 300member delegation.
“Saudi Arabian investment in Malaysia is expected to create thousands of jobs and we are proud that Malaysian firms have been chosen to undertake projects at some of the most prestigious locations in Saudi Arabia,” Najib said in a statement on Friday.
Besides traveling with his own private escalator, King Salman has also flown in two personal cars. His entourage has also completely booked out three luxury hotels in Kuala Lumpur for the duration of the visit.
After Malaysia, the King is expected to travel to Jakarta and Bali in Indonesia from March 1-9 with an even larger entourage of 1,500 people, followed by a trip to Japan from March 12 to 14, officials in those countries said.
King Salman is expected to spend the last two weeks of March on holiday in the Maldives, according to a Maldives diplomat. Local newspaper Mihaaru reported that three resorts have been reserved for his stay.