Muhyiddin calls for the lifting of travel restrictions between Singapore and Malaysia.

PUTRAJAYA: In the interest of bilateral relations, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin expressed hope today that several travel restrictions between Malaysia and Singapore could be lifted soon. These arrangements had been postponed, despite the fact that they had been agreed upon previously.

The Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL), Periodic Commuting Arrangement (PCA), and Daily Commuting Arrangement are examples of these (DCA).

After a courtesy call from Singapore foreign minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who is on an official two-day visit to Malaysia to discuss bilateral relations such as trade, investment, and health issues, Muhyiddin shared this information on Facebook.

Balakrishnan also extended a letter from Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong inviting him to the 10th Malaysia-Singapore annual leaders’ retreat, according to Muhyiddin’s posting.

“I took note of Singapore’s proposal to be the host for the retreat this year after it was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Muhyiddin said.

Muhyiddin called for continued and finalized technical cooperation between the two countries in response to a proposal for mutual recognition of the Covid-19 vaccination certificate.

While agreeing with Balakrishnan that Covid-19 has posed new challenges for both countries, Muhyiddin said the pandemic should not be used as an excuse to stifle efforts to improve bilateral cooperation.

Muhyiddin also discussed the current situation in Myanmar and Asean’s strategy for dealing with the crisis during the meeting.

“At the end of the meeting, I expressed Malaysia’s commitment to not only maintain the existing good relations with Singapore but also to strengthen ties,” he added. Balakrishnan was accompanied by Vanu Gopala Menon, Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia, and Chee Wee Kiong, Singapore’s Foreign Ministry Secretary-General. Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob represented Malaysia.