KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today granted an audience to Vice Prime Minister of Timor-Leste Francisco Kalbuadi Lay at Istana Negara here.
Kalbuadi Lay arrived at the palace at 2.20pm and spent about 30 minutes meeting the King.
Also present were Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir, Foreign Ministry's secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin and Timor-Leste Ambassador to Malaysia Joana Veneranda Amaral.
Kalbuadi Lay is in Malaysia for a four-day working visit beginning Sunday.
The visit is expected to further strengthen and enhance the bilateral relationship between the two countries, and demonstrate Malaysia's support for the full membership of Timor-Leste into Asean.
Yesterday, Kalbuadi Lay held a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof, who is also Plantation and Commodities Minister, to discuss bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
Kalbuadi Lay, who also holds the portfolio of Tourism and Environment Minister, also met with his Malaysian counterpart, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing, to discuss potential collaboration in the tourism sector for both countries.
In 2022, the total bilateral trade between Malaysia and Timor-Leste was RM384.48 million (US$90.2 million), an increase of 93.3 per cent compared to 2021, valued at RM194.09 million (US$46.6 million). -- BERNAMA