Zahid: Visa waiver soon for Serbs visiting Malaysia

NEW YORK: Malaysia will be granting a visa exemption to Serbs visiting the country, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said relations between the two nations would be improved not only at government-to-government level but also between their people.

“We are only waiting for Serbia to sign the agreement,” he said after a meeting with Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic here on Wednesday.

Dr Ahmad Zahid is on a five-day visit to the United States to chair a debate at the United Nations Security Council on weapons of mass destruction, where Malaysia is chairman for this month.

The meeting between Dr Ahmad Zahid and Dacic lasted for about 30 minutes.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman and Malaysia Permanent Representative to the United Nations Datuk Ramlan Ibrahim also attended.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said Malaysia would like more Serbs to visit Malaysia, adding that only about 600 visited last year.

“There is a huge potential to promote Malaysia to Serbs and the people of other former Yugoslavia countries,” he said.

He hoped that Serbia would become a gateway for Malaysian trade with those countries while Serbia could make Malaysia its gateway to Asean, which has a population of more than 500 million.

In terms of diplomatic relations, Dr Ahmad Zahid said Serbia was working to accredit its ambassador in Jakarta, for Malaysia before year end.

He said the discussion also touched on education and scientific cooperation, as well as on the nomination of a representative from Serbia to be the UN secretary-general, replacing Ban Ki-moon from South Korea whose term expires this year. — Bernama