His Excellency Ambassador ‘Alauddin Mohd Nor, Ambassador of Malaysia to the State of Kuwait hosted the 68th National Day and the 62nd Malaysia Day celebrations at The Regency Kuwait on 17 September 2025. This year’s celebration is more significant as it is also held in conjunction with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Kuwait, having established bilateral ties in 1965.
The celebration gathered more than 400 distinguished guests. Together with members of the diplomatic corps, fellow Malaysians, senior government officials, business leaders, media representatives as well as friends of Malaysia, the reception was graced by His Excellency Dr. Nader Abdullah Mohammad Al-Jallal, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the State of Kuwait, as the Guest of Honour. Other prominent figures included His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Abdullah Meshal Mubarak Al-Sabah, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence of the State of Kuwait and His Excellency Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Vice Chairman of Action Group Holdings.
In his remarks, His Excellency Ambassador ‘Alauddin highlighted the following:
- Malaysia and Kuwait have enjoyed a strong and multifaceted partnership over the past six decades. Moving forward, enhancing synergies between the Kuwait Vision 2035 and the 13th Malaysia Plan remains central to unlocking fresh opportunities for closer and broader collaboration;
- Kuwait was Malaysia’s 44th largest trading partner in 2024, with total bilateral trade reaching more than USD 622 million, a remarkable increase over 80 percent over the past five years;
- Malaysia welcomed 11,289 tourists from Kuwait in 2024, marking a 17.2 percent growth over the pre-pandemic period. This upward trend is expected to continue this year with the “Visit Malaysia 2026” campaign, which Malaysia has initiated this year as a symbol of renewed commitment to becoming a premier global tourism destination;
- In supporting the “Visit Malaysia 2026” campaign, Malaysia recently launched the “Malaysia Year of Medical Tourism 2026”, which brings together the best of healthcare and tourism through a whole-of-nation effort to position Malaysia as a global destination of choice for high-quality, competitive and compassionate healthcare;
- Malaysia is also a leading regional hub for education and continues to be a popular destination for international students. Malaysia currently hosts 131,000 international students and targets to welcome 250,000 international students by the end of 2025;
- Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN bodes well with Kuwait’s Presidency of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 2025. The synergy between two major regional blocs culminated with the successful convening of the 2nd ASEAN-GCC Summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit on 27 May 2025. Malaysia was honoured to have hosted His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of the State of Kuwait during his visit to Malaysia; and
- In celebrating 60 years of bilateral relations, the Embassy of Malaysia is organising the “Healthcare and Wellness Business Session” on 18 September 2025 and “The Big 10 Most Popular Malaysian Universities” education exhibition on 19 September 2025 to further bolstering ties between Malaysia and Kuwait.
The evening reception featured the singing of the national anthems of the State of Kuwait and Malaysia, remarks by His Excellency Ambassador ‘Alauddin, visual presentations on “Visit Malaysia 2026” and investment attractions in Malaysia, ceremonial cake-cutting session as well as an exhibition. The exhibition was participated by several of our Dubai-based Malaysian agencies covering Kuwait namely, the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia); Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA); Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE); and Agriculture Malaysia; including from Malaysia, the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC); Education Malaysia Global Assist (EMGA); PERKESO Rehabilitation Centre; and ALPHA IVF and Women’s Specialists; apart from TNB REMACO and Alypz, being Malaysian companies having presence in Kuwait.
Before leaving the reception, His Excellency Ambassador ‘Alauddin accompanied the Guest of Honour, His Excellency Dr. Nader Abdullah Mohammad Al-Jallal, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research of the State of Kuwait for a tour of “The Best of Malaysia: Showcasing Malaysia’s Finest” exhibition held in conjunction the 60 years anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malaysia and Kuwait. The exhibition showcased success stories of Malaysian companies based in Kuwait as well as opportunities for future collaboration in trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, healthcare, education and real property.
The Embassy of Malaysia in the State of Kuwait extends its heartfelt gratitude to all our esteemed guests and partners who joined us in celebrating this auspicious occasion, and we look forward to further strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between Malaysia, Kuwait and the wider community.
