King of Malaysia arrives in Russia on state visit

Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, arrived in Russia on 5 August on a state visit that will last until 10 August.

This is the first visit by a Malaysian Head of state to Russia since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the country and the USSR in 1967.

Sultan Ibrahim hopes that talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin will open a new chapter in bilateral relations between the two countries. This was stated by Malaysian Ambassador to Russia Cheong Loong Lai in an interview with Bernama, a partner of TV BRICS.

"His Majesty also expressed hope that the two leaders can hold productive discussions, especially on matters of mutual interest," he said.

According to the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sultan Ibrahim's visit marks an important stage in the development of bilateral relations. It is also seen as a continuation of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's official visit to Moscow in May this year, during which he held talks with Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials.

Experts believe that the king's visit will give additional impetus to economic relations, especially in such promising sectors as renewable energy, aerospace, digital technology, agrotechnology, and the halal industry.

Talks with the Russian President are scheduled for 6 August. It is expected that the discussions will focus on the prospects for Malaysian companies entering the Russian market, as well as opportunities for attracting Russian investment in infrastructure projects and Malaysia's green economy.

As noted by the Bernama News Agency, Sultan Ibrahim may advocate for more inclusive and diversified economic cooperation, as well as the promotion of sustainable development and multilateral diplomacy.

The agency believes that the topic of cooperation between the countries in civil nuclear energy, including personnel training and modernisation of energy infrastructure, may be discussed.

In an exclusive comment for TV BRICS, PhD in Economics Andrey Khlutkov spoke about the prospects for cooperation between the two countries.

"In my opinion, the new opportunities for Russian-Malaysian cooperation go far beyond traditional areas and are shaped by global trends. These are, first and foremost, the transition to sustainable development, digitalisation, energy transition and the strengthening of ties between the countries of the Global South," he said.

Khlutkov noted that he considers digitalisation to be one of the most promising areas. According to him, Malaysia has already established itself as a digital hub in Southeast Asia and, as the chair of ASEAN in 2025, is actively investing in digital transformation, especially in areas such as fintech, smart cities and artificial intelligence. Russia, as the expert emphasised, has qualified specialists in the IT field and significant achievements in the areas of AI, big data analysis, and cybersecurity. In this context, he considers it quite likely that effective partnerships will be formed between the technology parks and universities of the two countries, and that Russian IT companies will participate in the implementation of digital infrastructure projects in Malaysia in the foreseeable future.

It should be recalled that in January this year, the country, along with Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan, began working in BRICS as a partner of the group. In July 2025, the country took part in the association's summit, which was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.