Malaysian Airlines, the flag carrier of Malaysia, has announced plans to increase the number of flights to Sri Lanka, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The PM’s Office said that Malaysian High Commissioner Badli Hisham accepted a request by Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to increase the number of flights between Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
He said Malaysian Airlines plans to operate additional flights, while two other airlines, Air Asia and Batik Air also would like to introduce flights between Kuala Lumpur and Colombo.
The Malaysian High Commissioner said 70 million tourists visit Malaysia annually and Sri Lanka could attract some of them by introducing additional flights. He added that Sri Lanka could be a major airline hub for massive traffic between the West and East.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gunawardena urged Malaysian entrepreneurs to enter into new areas of investment in Sri Lanka in addition to the growing hospitality industry. Malaysia was amongst the top 6th investment partner of Sri Lanka in recent years.
Bilateral relations with special emphasis on enhancing trade and investment cooperation were discussed when Malaysian High Commissioner Badli Hisham Adam called on the Prime Minister at the Temple Trees on Tuesday (June 20).
The Prime Minister thanked the Government and people of Malaysia for the donation of medicine and medical supplies worth nearly One Billion Rupees.
Recently, Malaysia donated medical supplies worth 63,000 Malaysian Ringgits (MYR) (approx. USD 14,645) that included vital drugs needed for cancer patients.
Referring to the high-level contacts, historical links, people-to-people contacts, geographical proximity and the deepening bonds of friendship between the two nations, the Malaysian High Commissioner said his government was looking forward to increasing the economic and trade cooperation.
Sri Lanka and Malaysia signed a MoU on the recruitment, employment and repatriation of workers in 2016 which has secured job opportunities for Sri Lankan migrant workers in Malaysia.
The Prime Minister thanked the Malaysian Government for the Employment Quota of 10,000 for Sri Lankans to work in Malaysia and requested to include new areas such as the manufacturing sector and nursing in the employment list.
They also expressed appreciation for the close cooperation in international and regional forums such as International Maritime Organization (IMO), Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).
Secretary to the Prime Minister Anura Dissanayake and First Secretary of the Malaysian High Commission, Aneurin Ignatius also took part in the meeting. (NewsWire)
