Relationship dossier
Malaysia
Saudi Arabia
Relationship assessment
Senior-level engagement and major energy cooperation underpin Malaysia–Saudi Arabia ties
Malaysia toward Saudi Arabia
+45Malaysia joined the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition and concluded cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia during King Salman’s 2017 visit. These actions indicate engagement on security and bilateral cooperation, though the extent of implementation is unclear.
Saudi Arabia toward Malaysia
+45Saudi Arabia pursued bilateral cooperation during King Salman’s 2017 visit to Malaysia, when the countries signed agreements across several fields. Saudi Aramco also partnered with Malaysia’s Petronas on the Pengerang refinery and petrochemical project.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship has sustained high-level engagement and concrete economic and security cooperation, including the Aramco–Petronas project and Malaysia’s participation in a Saudi-led counterterrorism coalition. These features support a substantially cooperative relationship, while uncertainty about the reach and implementation of broader agreements limits the assessment.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Malaysia and Saudi Arabia have a substantive relationship supported by senior-level engagement and economic cooperation. During King Salman’s 2017 visit to Malaysia, the countries signed cooperation agreements, and Saudi Aramco entered a major partnership with Malaysia’s Petronas for the Pengerang refinery and petrochemical project. Malaysia also joined the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. The scope and implementation of wider bilateral cooperation are less clear.
Key developments
Malaysia joined the Saudi-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition.
King Salman visited Malaysia, and the two governments signed cooperation agreements.
Saudi Aramco and Malaysia’s Petronas partnered on the Pengerang refinery and petrochemical project.
Major uncertainties
- The implementation and long-term impact of agreements signed during King Salman’s 2017 visit are unclear.
- The extent of Malaysia’s operational participation in the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is unclear.