KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian ambassador to Qatar, Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, was granted the Al Wajbah Decoration for his role in enhancing bilateral relations by Qatar’s Deputy Amir, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, at Diwan Amiri in Doha on Thursday.
The Al Wajbah Decoration is bestowed to foreign ambassadors accredited to Qatar, Deputy Ministers and undersecretaries of the local authority, as well as deserving individuals in recognition of their valuable services.
Ahmad Fadil, in Doha since 2017 and the fourth Malaysian ambassador accredited to Qatar, commented that he was honoured to be granted the award and mentioned that relations between Malaysia and Qatar has been on an upward trajectory.
He also added that the decoration reflected the host country’s support and acknowledgement of the continuous efforts put up by the Embassy of Malaysia in Doha in strengthening bilateral relations between the two countries.
“I am proud to say that this has been further demonstrated by the frequent exchange of high-level visits between the two countries,” said Ahmad Fadil in a statement to Bernama.
Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail visited Qatar on Nov 25-27 last year, followed by Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s working visit to Malaysia on Dec 5-7 in conjunction with the 3rd Sheikh Tamim Anti-Corruption Excellence Award.
The two countries had also agreed to convene the High-Level Joint Commission Meeting at the level of secretary general of both Foreign Ministries and the Second Joint Trade Committee Meeting in Kuala Lumpur next month.
Total bilateral trade and investment between the two countries have shown positive developments in 2018 in comparison to the corresponding period in 2017, and the cooperation is expected to blossom with the upcoming 14th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) 2019 in Doha in the third or fourth quarter of this year. – Bernama
