On Nov 6, he is also scheduled to leave for Bahrain on a state visit, Bernama reported.

This is the first state visit by a Malaysian king to Saudi Arabia since the late Sultan Ahmad Shah’s visit in 1984.

The special plane carrying Sultan Ibrahim departed from the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Subang at 9am.

Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof was present to bid farewell.

Also present were foreign minister Mohamad Hasan, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil, home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar, health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad and tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing.

Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Johari Abdul, Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar, chief of the armed forces General Nizam Jaffar and public service department director-general Wan Ahmad Dahlan Abdul Aziz were also present.

While in Riyadh, Sultan Ibrahim is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Saudi crown prince and prime minister, Mohammed Salman, at Al-Yamamah Palace.

Accompanying the king on the visit are his sons – Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar – along with defence minister Khaled Nordin, who will serve as minister-in-attendance.

Upon completion of the Saudi leg of the visit, Sultan Ibrahim will depart for Bahrain at the invitation of King Hamad Isa Al-Khalifa, marking the first state visit since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Bahrain in 1974.

Sultan Ibrahim and King Hamad share a long-standing friendship. Sultan Ibrahim visited Bahrain in 2017 as Sultan of Johor, while King Hamad attended Sultan Ibrahim’s installation ceremony as the 17th Yang di-Pertuan Agong last year.