KUALA LUMPUR: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud was conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by University of Malaya (UM) in a special convocation ceremony today.
The event, held at the university's Dewan Tunku Canselor, saw the award presented to King Salman by the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, who is also UM Chancellor.
The honorary degree was presented to King Salman as a recognition of his contribution as a revolutionary, innovative leader via the numerous improvements brought about during his two-year reign as the ruler of Saudi Arabia.
In his speech after receiving the honorary degree, His Majesty called upon universities and research centres in Islamic countries to produce works that could contribute to the development of Islamic civilisation.
He said this could also benefit other countries in the world.
"The Islamic world is facing various hurdles in the fields of technical and intellectual development. These challenges are no different from the ones we face in economical and political aspects," he said, adding that universities served as the centre for nation-building efforts, which have a mission to realise holistic growth in various dimensions.
Meanwhile, UM vice-chancellor Tan Sri Dr Mohd Amin Jalaludin in a statement expressed hope that the conferment would strengthen existing ties between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia in terms of research and exchange of academic staff.
"The conferment is expected to open new horizons in the longstanding relations between local institutions of higher learning and Saudi Arabia.
"This conferment is also a testimony towards the faith and trust of the Saudi government towards the high standards of the education sector, especially in the field of medicine, in producing numerous specialists in Saudi Arabia," he said.
Also present during the ceremony were Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh and UM's Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib.
UM's Doctor of Letters honorary degree was previously awarded to the Shah of Iran, His Majesty Muhammad Reza Pahlavi Shahan in 1968 and also to the late South African president Nelson Mandela in 1990, among others.
King Salman, who is also the custodian of the two holy mosques in Saudi Arabia, will also be conferred with an honorary doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science tomorrow by the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
The Saudi ruler is in Malaysia for a four-day state visit.
Earlier today, King Salman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib held talks on various issues pertaining to bilateral issues as well as improvements in cooperation in various areas.
Among the main items on the agenda included issues related to the haj and the annual quota of Malaysian pilgrims.
After the meeting, King Salman witnessed the signing of four important memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between the Malaysian and Saudi governments.
The MoUs involved scientific, educational and economic cooperation, labour and human resources, and the exchange of news between Bernama and the Saudi Press Agency.
Reporting by LAILI ISMAIL, HANA NAZ HARUN and ARFA YUNUS.