PM Ismail looking forward to visiting Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR • Newly appointed Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he is looking forward to visiting Singapore and meeting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In thanking Mr Lee for reaching out and congratulating him on his appointment as Malaysia's ninth prime minister, Mr Ismail also took the opportunity to extend his well wishes to Singapore on its 56th year of independence celebrated on Aug 9.

"I expressed Malaysia's high commitment to further strengthen our existing bilateral relations with Singapore, on top of exploring new potential in various fields for our mutual interests," he said on Facebook on Sunday.

"I look forward to visit Singapore and meeting (PM Lee) to discuss how both Malaysia and Singapore can benefit from the friendship that both our countries have for so many years."

Mr Ismail, who is also Umno vice-president, was sworn in as Prime Minister by Malaysia's King last Saturday, five days after Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin resigned the premiership following the loss of his parliamentary majority.

Mr Ismail's appointment also marked his party's return to power just three years after it lost federal control for the first time since the country's independence.

Earlier on Sunday, PM Lee made a telephone call to Mr Ismail and wrote him a congratulatory letter.

During the phone call, both leaders reaffirmed the long-standing, deep and broad-ranging ties shared between Singapore and Malaysia.

They are also looking forward to working closely together to confront shared challenges that include the Covid-19 pandemic, said Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement.

In his letter, PM Lee said he had every confidence that the relationship between the two countries will continue to flourish as they enjoy deep, warm and multi-faceted ties, adding that he looks forward to working with Mr Ismail to expand both countries' cooperation for mutual benefit.

He also invited Mr Ismail to make an official visit to Singapore to discuss "how we can partner each other to take our friendship further".