Cooperation on COVID-19: India allowed 18 special Malaysian flights for evacuation, maximum for any foreign country

Even as the COVID-19 crisis spreads across the world, India and Malaysia are working together on many fronts from the evacuation of citizens to cooperating inother areas as part of a "strategic partnership".

India had allowed eighteenspecial Malaysian flights for the evacuation of Malaysian nationalssince it had imposed a ban on international flights on March 20. Eighteen foreign flight is the biggest number of flights India allowed for any foreign country.

Theflights brought back 2,833 Malaysian nationals, which is again the maximum number of citizens repatriated till now for any foreign country.

The Indian high commissioner to Malaysia Mridul Kumar on Wednesday met Malaysian foreign minister Hishammuddin Hussein regarding cooperation on COVID-19.

Thanking the Indian Envoy for repatriation of Malaysian citizens foreign ministerHishammuddin Hussein said, "so many Malaysians have benefitted and it was not easy and what we went through, we can share with the world too... when we put our heads together with a sincere heart.. we will get through this together...and we will fight this.."

The Indian high commissioner remarked that "It has been a real honour and a privileged to work with the new government."

"I think COVID-19 has given that extraordinary challenge and through that challenge, it has also given us, our two countries a very apt opportunity to showcase to the rest of the world to Indians and Malaysian nationals that we are strategic partners in real and true sense. COVID-19 has been a global challenge for all countries, for all governments and all people."

This is the second meet between Indian envoy and the new Malaysian foreign minister in last one month. Indian high commissioner was the first envoy received by the foreign minister on March 18. On the same day, HC Kumar also called on the new Malaysian PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin.