JEDDAH: Concluding his official visit to Malaysia, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah on Wednesday stressed his country’s pride in hosting 31,600 Malaysian pilgrims during this year’s Hajj, the highest number of Malaysian pilgrims since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a press conference held in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, Al-Rabiah highlighted recently introduced services aiming to allow pilgrims to perform their rituals with ease, the latest of which was reducing insurance rate by 73 percent and encouraging competitiveness between Hajj service-providing companies to contribute to cost reductions for pilgrims. The minister added that such measures will raise the quality of services, and that the male-guardian (Mahram) condition, previously imposed on female pilgrims, has been removed. Meanwhile, Al-Rabiah reviewed the services provided by Saudi Arabia to facilitate the arrival of Malaysian pilgrims to the two holy cities, Makkah and Madinah, noting that these services have helped more than 300,000 Umrah pilgrims easily arrive in Saudi Arabia over eight months. The minister revealed that his official visit to Malaysia, with the company of a delegation consisting of representatives from several government entities, came under the helpful instructions of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, adding that the visit is an extension of the strategic relations between the two countries. He also added that the visit confirms Saudi Arabia’s keenness to provide the best possible services to pilgrims. Earlier on Tuesday, Al-Rabiah met with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Perdana Putra in Putrajaya, where the two sides reviewed bilateral relations between the two countries and issues related to the quota for Hajj and Umrah. They also discussed initiatives that could be implemented to improve cooperation in tourism, education, investment and trade. Moreover, Al-Rabiah held several meetings with Malaysian Minister of Religious Affairs Mohd Na’im bin Mokhtar, Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Tiong King Sing, Minister of Transport Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Higher Education Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Chairman of the Malaysian Hajj Fund Azman Mokhtar. The meetings were attended by Saudi Ambassador to Malaysia Musaed bin Ibrahim Al-Saleem. Al-Rabiah also discussed opportunities to enhance joint cooperation in various sectors. Furthermore, he discussed the services provided by the Kingdom in a way that contributes to achieving the aspirations of the two countries’ leaderships. He also discussed the possibility of increasing the number of pilgrims and Umrah performers, in light of the unlimited support and constant care of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. During his visit to Malaysia, Al-Rabiah also witnessed the launch of the Nusuk platform in its Malay edition (nusuk.sa/ms). He also attended the graduation of the first section of Hajj group leaders, a program to improve the quality of services for pilgrims, facilitate their trips and enrich their religious and cultural experiences in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.