From Siti Radzeah Rahmat
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug 19 (NNN-BERNAMA) — The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, today conferred Brunei’s highest award of Darjah Kerabat Mahkota Brunei (D.K.M.B.) on Malaysian King, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who is on a three-day state visit to the sultanate.
The sultan presented the award to Sultan Abdullah during an audience at the Laila Kenchana Room at Istana Nurul Iman.
Sultan Hassanal also conferred an award, the Darjah Kerabat Laila Utama Yang Amat Dihormati (D.K.), on the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah.
At the same ceremony, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong conferred Malaysia’s Darjah Utama Seri Mahkota Negara (D.M.N.) on Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, the consort of the Sultan of Brunei.
The conferment of the award brings to mind the historic moment in October 1980 when the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Almarhum Sultan Ahmad Shah, father of Sultan Abdullah, conferred a similar award on Sultan Hassanal.
The visit to Brunei is the first state visit by Sultan Abdullah after being officially installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong on July 30.
The visit is aimed at strengthening royal and bilateral relations between the two countries which have been established for more than three decades.
Sultan Abdullah and Tunku Azizah arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan on Sunday.
As part of the royal visit, His Majesty and the Queen also attended a dinner with the Malaysian diaspora on Sunday night.
The dinner, attended by about 200 Malaysians comprising students, academicians and representatives from the Peninsular Malaysia Malay Welfare Association and Malaysian Citizens Association, was held at the Royal Polo and Riding Club.
Also present were Foreign Minister Foreign Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and Malaysian High Commissioner to Brunei, Ismail Salam.
–NNN-BERNAMA