Ukrainian President Wants To Lure More Ukrainians To Visit Hospitable Malaysia

By Nur Ashikin Abdul Aziz and Nabilah Saleh PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), Aug 8 (Bernama) -- Although the MH17 tragedy two years ago was one of the top topics discussed during the visit of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, bilateral tourism was also very much on the president's mind. He aims to entice more Ukrainians to visit Malaysia, a country which he described as very attractive and hospitable. Malaysia could be well promoted in Ukraine, which would eventually increase the number of Ukrainian tourists to Malaysia significantly, he told Bernama in a brief interview here Thursday, in conjunction with his three-day maiden official visit to Malaysia, which ended on Friday. "This is a completely new country (for the Ukrainians), very attractive and very positive for Ukrainian tourists, with huge level of hospitality," he said. Poroshenko pointed out that for the year 2014, only 3,000 Ukrainians visited Malaysia, however a year later the number rose to 5,000. "Looking at the trend, I really hope we can easily double this figure by promoting Malaysia effectively," he said. He said the Ukrainian government would not only strive to lure Ukranians to Malaysia but also attract more Malaysians to visit the eastern European country, which was achievable with the plan to enhance the visa regime. At a joint press conference on Thursday, Prime Minister Najib Razak said that both countries agreed to begin discussions on visas upon arrival to facilitate more visitors from Malaysia to Ukraine and vice versa. Enjoying warm diplomatic ties established since 1992, Malaysia was among the first countries to recognise Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. On another issue, the president thanked the government of Malaysia and its people for supporting Ukraine in defending its sovereignity and territorial integrity at the United Nations (UN) level. "I would like to thank Malaysia for being together with Ukraine during the difficult times and supporting us also in the United Nations," he said. He was referring to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution on Ukraine rejecting Russia's annexation of Crimea adopted on March 27, 2014. The resolution called upon States not to recognise changes in status of Crimea region. Malaysia was one of the 100 members which voted in favour, while 11 voted against and 58 abstentions. Asked to comment on the latest UN Report, which stated that civilian casualties caused by the conflict in eastern Ukraine has hit a new high since August last year, Poroshenko admitted the fact. The UN report said that there were 12 deaths and 57 injuries among non combatants in June in the conflict area while eight were killed and 65 others wounded in July. "From the beginning of war, Ukraine lost 2,497 Ukrainians soldiers. Only in July, 40 Ukrainian soldiers were killed and many civilians suffered and 170 soldiers were wounded," Poroshenko said. The president had also referred to the Minks Protocol, an agreement to halt the war in eastern Ukraine. According to reports the Minsk agreement was negotiated by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France in February 2015 to end the fighting which broke out in eastern Ukraine after the fall of a Moscow-backed president and the arrival in power of a pro Western leadership. But the ceasefire has failed to stop all fighting between Ukrainian government troops and the Russian-backed rebels while the two sides accuse each other of failing to honour the commitments made in Minsk. The UN said that the conflict in eastern Ukraine has killed some 9,553 people and wounded 22,137 others since it began in April, 2014. -- BERNAMA