Govt did not seek Hisham's help to restore ties with Saudi Arabia – Saifuddin

KUANTAN: Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah yesterday denied a report that the government had sought the assistance of former defence minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein to help restore diplomatic ties between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.

He said the authenticity of the report that was published by a news portal was doubtful as it only cited 'sources from Putrajaya'.

“I did not meet him (Hishammuddin) and Wisma Putra had never sought his assistance to help restore ties with Saudi Arabia.

“What happened was I had a discussion with the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Malaysia about a month after my appointment as the Foreign Minister where I explained to him about the decision to withdraw the Malaysian soldiers from the Saudi Arabia-led coalition war against Yemen,” he told reporters after officiating at the Kuantan districtlevel Education Empowerment Forum at Kolej Universiti Widad here.

Saifuddin said during the meeting, he also explained about the cancellation of the King Salman Centre for International Peace which was well received by the ambassador.

“We received a good feedback from the Saudi Arabian government and the privileges accorded to Malaysian pilgrims during haj season this year is proof that relations between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia has remained good,” he added.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin who is also Indera Mahkota MP said the Indonesian government welcomed the RM1 million humanitarian aid for victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Central Sulawesi.

"We will continue to provide assistance to the victims from time to time and according to their needs. We also hope that the victims will recover and have the strength to rebuild their lives," he said.