Vladivostok and Kota Kinabalu Signed Sister-City Agreement

VLADIVOSTOK. March 16. VOSTOK-MEDIA – Vladivostok Mayor Igor Pushkaryov and the mayor of Kota Kinabalu Iliyas Ibrahim signed a sister-cities agreement Monday fortifying the relationship between the capital of Primorsky Krai and the capital of Sabah state in Malaysia. Kota Kinabalu became the 12th sister-city of Vladivostok.

The agreement signing ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Mayor of Vladivostok Aleksey Litvinov, advisor to the mayor Vladimir Zakharov, and the acting head of foreign affairs and tourism department Aleksey Moiseyenko.

The Malaysian delegation was presented by Sabah Minister for Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun, Permanent Secretary at the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Susanna Liaw, General Manager of Sabah Tourism Council Iren Betty Benggon, Head of Kota Kinabalu Municipal Council Joannes Solidau, and other administrative officials, managers of tour operators and hotels.

The participants in the signing ceremony stated that since the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Russia and Malaysia in 1967, the mutually beneficial ties between the two countries have been developing successfully. The Sides noted with satisfaction the progress achieved in the development of cultural, educational and tourism cooperation. More than 2,500 students from Malaysia are studying in Russian universities. Moreover, last year about 30,000 Russian tourists visited Malaysia. The Vladivostok- Kota Kinabalu sister-cities agreement is expected to give new impetus to the development of these mutually advantageous relations. The last year’s convention of the General Assembly of the Tourism Promotion Organization for Asian-Pacific Cities, in which a delegation from Vladivostok took part, gave a boost to the development of all-round cooperation between the cities.

During the talks, Igor Pushkaryov focused on the benefit the two cities may gain as a result of the implementation of the provisions of the sister-city agreement. The mutually advantageous economic relationships between Vladivostok and its other sister-cities may serve as an excellent example of such benefit. In particular, businessmen of the Ecuador city of Manta offer direct supplies of cacao beans, flowers and fruits to Vladivostok, which may reduce considerably prices on this produce in Russia’s Far East. After the sister-cities agreement with Wonsan (D.P.R.K.) was concluded, the North Korean city started to supply sand and building materials to Russky Island, where the large-scale construction is underway. Igor Pushkaryov expressed his confidence that the relationships between the two cities will prove to be fruitful and mutually beneficial.

Kota Kinabalu, having an estimated population of 600,000, is a capital of Sabah, which is one of the most populous states in Malaysia. The city is located on the northwest coast of Borneo. Kota Kinabalu has air links with all major Malaysian cities, as well as with Brunei and Singapore. Kota Kinabalu is situated at the foot of the highest mountain in Southeast Asia - Mount Kinabalu (4,010 meters above sea level).