PM Ismail Sabri describes first official visit to S'pore a success

SINGAPORE: Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today described his first official visit to Singapore as a success.

He thanked the Singapore government especially his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong for giving him a warm welcome filled with a family spirit.

"Ties between the two countries are very close, as we are neighbours with a long history," he told a news conference with the Malaysian media at the end of his visit.

The visit, made at the invitation of Lee, is Ismail Sabri's second to a neighbouring country after he was sworn in as the ninth Prime Minister on Aug 21 this year.

He went to Indonesia for a three-day official visit from Nov 9.

Ismail Sabri, who arrived here this morning, and Lee had earlier launched the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) for air and land travel between Malaysia and Singapore at the Woodlands Checkpoint.

Ismail Sabri said that at his four-eye meeting with Lee, they discussed the possible launch of sea VTL between Tanah Merah and Desaru and a cruise service from Singapore to Port Klang and Langkawi.

"We believe the opening of more (travel arrangements) can benefit the whole country not only in terms of tourism, which has been badly hit by the border closure, but also trade," he said.

He said the opening of the borders with Singapore, which is Malaysia's largest trading partner, was expected to have a spillover effect on Johor and nearby places such as Melaka, which is a popular destination for Singaporeans.

The prime minister said the category of users for the land VTL might be expanded after Dec 23, depending on the impact of the opening of the current first phase of land VTL.