Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has extended an invitation to his newly-sworn in Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to visit Singapore soon.
“I look forward to meeting him to discuss how we can partner each other to take our friendship further, and expand our cooperation,” said PM Lee in a Facebook post on Sunday (22 Aug).
In his post, he noted that he made a telephone call to Mr Ismail yesterday to congratulate him on becoming Malaysia’s Prime Minister.
Mr Ismail was sworn in as Malaysia’s ninth Prime Minister earlier on Saturday (21 Aug) following the previous Government’s collapse, reclaiming the premiership for his scandal-mired party without an election.
During the phone call, both leaders reaffirmed Singapore and Malaysia’s longstanding, deep, and broad-ranging ties.
In a separate congratulatory letter penned to Mr Ismail, PM Lee expressed his confidence that the bilateral relationship between the two countries would “continue to flourish” as they enjoy “deep, warm, and multi-faceted relations”.
“We share many common interests, and our people have familial ties across the border. Over the years, Singapore has cooperated closely with successive Malaysian governments to confront our shared challenges, including this pandemic,” he wrote.
PM Lee went on to say that Mr Ismail has a “wealth of experience in public service and government”, including having helmed multiple ministries prior to his appointments as Deputy Prime Minister and Senior Minister in the previous administration.
“I am confident that Malaysia will continue to prosper under your leadership as prime minister,” he asserted.
PM Lee continued, “You have contributed significantly to strengthening bilateral cooperation, including co-chairing the Singapore-Malaysia Special Working Committee on COVID-19 to oversee the continued movement of people and goods across our borders.
“I have every confidence that our relationship will continue to flourish. I look forward to meeting you soon, and working with you to expand our cooperation for mutual benefit.”
Mr Ismail had previously co-chaired the Singapore-Malaysia Special Working Committee on COVID-19 with Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean to oversee the continued movement of people and goods across the borders.
PM Lee concluded his congratulatory letter saying, “Ho Ching and I send our best wishes for you and Datin Seri Muhaini Zainal Abidin’s continued good health and happiness.”
