BALIKPAPAN: The relocation of Indonesia’s capital city from Jakarta to Kalimantan would be very beneficial to Sabah, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (pix).
Therefore, he said the state government was willing to offer and explore suitable sectors in Kalimantan especially in East and North Kalimantan.
“With Indonesia’s decision to relocate the capital city to Kalimantan, we hope that it will also bring about many benefits not only to Kalimantan but also to Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.
“This is in line with the investment in neighbouring countries which is also the focus of the Sabah state government,” he said during his courtesy call to East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor here yesterday.
Mohd Shafie is on a three-day working visit to Balikpapan and Tarakan, starting Monday.
The chief minister was accompanied by his two deputies, Datuk Jaujan Sambakong and Datuk Christina Liew, as well as Sabah State Secretary Datuk Hashim Paijan.
Speaking to reporters after the courtesy call, Mohd Shafie said tourism cooperation was among the identified sectors that would be enhanced between Sabah and East Kalimantan.
“It can be made by offering joint-tourism packages for tourists to come to Sabah and Kalimantan,” he said.
Meanwhile, Isran said that cooperation in education and tourism sectors between Sabah and East Kalimantan was also discussed during the meet.
“We will identify suitable areas based on its level of priority and which can be implemented as soon as possible,” he said.
He noted that priority was also given to the efforts to have direct flights from Kota Kinabalu to East Kalimantan, namely to Balikpapan and Samarinda. — Bernama
