Kuala Lumpur:Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim conferred the Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (DMN) award to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during the latter's two-day state visit to Malaysia.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the award ceremony took place at Istana Negara in Dewan Seri Maharaja before a state banquet was held in honor of President El-Sisi. The Egyptian leader arrived in Malaysia the previous day for this significant diplomatic engagement.

The ceremony was attended by high-profile figures, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, and Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani, alongside other dignitaries and an Egyptian delegation.

Earlier in the day, El-Sisi was welcomed with a state ceremony at the Istana Negara parade square upon his arrival at 1008 am. His visit, initiated by an invitation from Sultan Ibrahim, marks the first by an Egyptian president to Malaysia in nearly three decades. The last visit by an Egyptian leader was in November 1997 when former President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak attended the G-15 Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Mubarak also made an official visit as the Egyptian Vice President in 1979.

Diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Egypt have been in place since 1959.