KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, today consented to confer the Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (DMN) award on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, who is currently in Malaysia on a two-day state visit.

El-Sisi was conferred the award at Istana Negara in a special ceremony at Dewan Seri Maharaja prior to a state banquet hosted in honour of the Egyptian leader, who arrived in the country yesterday.

Also at the ceremony were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, dignitaries, and an Egyptian delegation.

Earlier, El-Sisi was accorded a state welcoming ceremony at the Istana Negara parade square upon his arrival at 10.08am.

El-Sisi’s visit, at the invitation of Sultan Ibrahim, is the first by an Egyptian president to Malaysia in nearly three decades. The last visit, by former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, took place in November 1997 for the G-15 Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Mubarak also paid an official visit as Egyptian Vice President in 1979.

Malaysia and Egypt established diplomatic relations in 1959.