KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Embassy in The Hague participated in the 9th Embassy Festival 2022 held in The Hague, Netherlands, by showcasing the best of Malaysia’s diverse culture, food and games to the Dutch public.
The annual festival, which returned last weekend after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, attracted 55 embassies and more than 50,000 visitors.
According to a statement from the embassy, among the dishes promoted at the Malaysian pavilion were nasi lemak and snacks like karipap and roti jala, as well as selected fruits such as durian, mangosteen and dragon fruit, all flown in from Malaysia.
The embassy also showcased sepak raga at the Creative Arena.
Malaysian Ambassador to the Netherlands, Datuk Nadzirah Osman, said she was surprised by the overwhelming number of visitors to the Malaysian pavilion and the interest shown in Malaysian food and tropical fruits by the Dutch visitors and the international community.
“Overall, our participation in the Embassy Festival has achieved its aim of promoting Malaysia to the local and international communities,” she said in a statement, reported Bernama.
Nadzirah said Malaysia-Netherlands relations had been excellent in many aspects such as trade and investment, agriculture, water management and tourism.
Malaysia is among the popular destinations for Dutch tourists, with more than 80,000 of them visiting the country each year. Before the pandemic, Dutch tourists were the fourth largest in terms of tourist arrivals to Malaysia from the European continent.
Apart from promoting Malaysia, the embassy also took part in the Asean programme at the festival.
According to the statement, the embassy is also planning to host various programmes this year in conjunction with the 65th National Day as well as the 65th Anniversary of Malaysia-Netherlands relations.
Programmes that have been lined up include National/Malaysia Day picnic, National Day Reception, Sarawak’s sape concert, cooking demonstration by Chef Datuk Ismail Ahmad, a seminar on Malaysia-Netherlands cooperation and a Malaysian film show.
