SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong is in Malaysia for the 11th Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat. He arrived on Monday evening (Jan 6) in Kuala Lumpur, where the Petronas Twin Towers were lit up in the colours of both countries’ flags for one night.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hosted him for dinner at Rumah Tangsi, which the Singaporean leader showed in a video he posted on his social media accounts.
@lawrencewongst Landed in Malaysia & caught up with PM @Anwar Ibrahim over dinner. Looking forward to tomorrow’s Malaysia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat— we have a full programme ahead. #Singapore #Malaysia #LeadersRetreat
On Facebook, Mr Wong wrote that he and Mr Anwar discussed many areas of cooperation that both countries will find advantageous.
“This will set a positive trajectory for our bilateral relations as we mark the 60th anniversary of our diplomatic ties this year,” he wrote, adding that there is a full program for the leaders’ retreat and that he was looking forward to it.
Rumah Tangsi, which is described as a tourism, cultural, and heritage centre, also posted photos of the dinner, which it deemed a “monumental gathering” uniting the two leaders in a “historic dialogue to fortify bilateral relations.”
On Tuesday (Jan 7), Mr Ibrahim posted photos on his Facebook account as well, with the leaders’ retreat getting kicked off with an official welcome of Mr Wong and the delegation from Singapore from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Malay Regiment.
Mr Anwar wrote that the visit from Mr Wong is “important and quite meaningful.” Like his Singaporean counterpart, he noted that this is particularly so because bilateral relations between the two countries turn six decades old this year.
“Both countries are committed to tightening the friendship and understanding that has been forged since a long time,” he noted.
Mr Anwar added that the two leaders had a brief one-on-one discussion before leading their respective delegations to meetings regarding current issues that involve Singapore and Malaysia.
The two Prime Ministers later shared a joint press conference about perhaps the highlight of the retreat, which is the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).
According to a CNA report, in the first five years of operations, Singapore and Malaysia aim to create 20,000 skilled jobs and make the expansion of 50 projects possible. For the first 10 years, the goal is to reach 100 projects.
“It’s not just about Singapore businesses going to Johor, but it’s about both sides working together to attract new investment projects globally,” CNA quotes PM Wong.
On his part, Mr Anwar called the JS-SEZ a “unique initiative” and noted how unusual it is for two nations to collaborate as a team. /TISG
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