Dr. Salim M. AlMalik, Director-General of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), received Edi Irwan bin Mahmud, Ambassador-designate of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Morocco, on Monday, 19 October 2026, at ICESCO Headquarters in Rabat. The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in education, culture, and science.

At the outset of the meeting, Dr. AlMalik congratulated Ambassador Edi Irwan on his accreditation as his country’s Ambassador to Rabat and wished him every success in his mission. The Director-General offered an overview of ICESCO’s history, its Strategic Vision 2025–2029, and its key programs and initiatives in youth and women’s capacity building, scientific research, space sciences and their applications, the promotion of peace and civilizational dialogue, and the advancement of the Arabic language internationally.

Dr. AlMalik commended Malaysia’s continued support for the Organization’s programs and activities, as well as its consistent fulfillment of all annual contributions to ICESCO’s general budget, expressing his aspiration to build a strategic partnership between the two sides in the coming period.

The ICESCO Director-General referred to his invitation to attend the 27th session of the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA), scheduled to be held in Malaysia next November. Both sides emphasized the importance of using the occasion to hold a number of high-level meetings on strengthening bilateral cooperation.

Dr. AlMalik also expressed ICESCO’s readiness to receive a group of outstanding Malaysian young people for training across the Organization’s sectors, centers, and divisions, enabling them to gain first-hand insight into the working environment of international organizations.

For his part, Ambassador Edi Irwan affirmed his commitment to strengthening bilateral relations between ICESCO and Malaysia. He highlighted Malaysia’s approach of supporting all forms of cooperation among countries of the Islamic world, particularly through ICESCO, which plays a distinguished role in its fields of competence.

The meeting also explored ways to enhance cooperation in education, higher education, and scientific research; the hosting and organization of several ICESCO ministerial conferences in Malaysia; and the latest developments in the project to establish the ICESCO–Hamdan bin Rashid Center for Arabic Language Teaching, with support from the Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Anar Karimov, Head of the Partnerships and International Cooperation Sector; Dr. Yergaliyev Kuanysh, Head of the Science and Environment Sector; and Dr. Majdi Hajj Ibrahim, Head of the Center of Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers, representing ICESCO.