In a Facebook post today, the Malaysian embassy in Washington said Shahrul presented his letter of credence to Trump during a presentation of credentials ceremony at the White House on July 24.

“During the ceremony, Shahrul had the opportunity to briefly exchange warm pleasantries with Trump, conveying his commitment to further strengthening Malaysia-US bilateral relationship.

“He also thanked the president for secretary of state Marco Rubio’s participation in the recent 58th Asean foreign ministers’ meeting held in Kuala Lumpur from July 8 to 11, which further reaffirmed the US’s commitment to the region, as well as the deepening of the Malaysia-US Comprehensive Partnership,” the embassy said.

Over the past six decades, Malaysia-US ties have grown into a multifaceted partnership encompassing political, economic, defence and security, educational, and people-to-people cooperation.

Shahrul is a former secretary-general of the foreign ministry and a veteran diplomat with over 35 years of service.

Born in Pahang, he holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Ecology from Universiti Malaya and completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2009.

He began his career at the foreign ministry in 1988 as an administrative and diplomatic officer.

Shahrul also served as Malaysia’s ambassador to Qatar and Austria, as well as permanent representative to the United Nations in New York.

His previous diplomatic assignments included stints at Malaysia’s diplomatic missions in Vienna, Washington and Beijing.