Russian President Vladimir Putin conveyed his warm regards to His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in New Delhi on Saturday.
Putin recalled meeting Sultan Ibrahim in Moscow in May during celebrations marking the 81st anniversary of Victory Day, describing Russia-Malaysia relations as highly valued and genuinely friendly.
“We had the pleasure of meeting in Moscow this May at the celebrations of the 81st anniversary of Victory,” Putin said, according to a transcript of the meeting published on the Kremlin’s website.
“We highly appreciate the high level and truly friendly nature of relations between Russia and Malaysia,” he said during the meeting held on the sidelines of the 18th BRICS Summit.
Earlier, Bernama reported that Anwar conveyed Sultan Ibrahim’s warm regards to Putin and reiterated the King’s invitation for the Russian president to undertake a state visit to Malaysia.
Sultan Ibrahim, who ascended the federal throne on Jan 31, 2024, has visited Russia three times — for a state visit in August 2025, a special visit in January 2026 and to Moscow in May for Russia’s Victory Day celebrations.
Putin also noted that Malaysia and Russia would mark 60 years of diplomatic relations next year, expressing hope that the milestone would be reached with extensive positive experience and a strong foundation for further cooperation.
He said bilateral contacts had continued to develop across various sectors, including security councils, parliaments, foreign ministries and other government agencies.
Putin also highlighted the fifth meeting of the Joint Russian-Malaysian Commission on Economic, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation, which was held in Vladivostok in August.
He said Russia placed particular importance on cooperation with Malaysia in education, science, technology and tourism.
Bilateral trade also increased by 12.9 per cent last year, which Putin described as an encouraging development.
