Canada's Governor-General To Undertake State Visit To Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Canada's Governor-General David Lloyd Johnston is scheduled to make a four-day State Visit to Malaysia from Sunday (Nov 13) to further enhance the existing bilateral relations between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said. Johnston will lead a delegation which includes Peter McGovern, Assistant Deputy Foreign Minister (Asia) of Canada, as well as distinguished Canadian academics and business people. This would be the first State Visit from Canada to Malaysia, the ministry said in a statement here Thursday. The official welcoming ceremony for the Canadian entourage will be held at Parliament Square on Nov 14 and a State Banquaet in honor of the Governor General will be hosted by the King at Melawati Palace, Putrajaya, the statement said. Malaysia and Canada had developed close and friendly relations characterised by an excellent network of cooperation since diplomatic relations was established 54 years ago, according to the ministry. During the State Visit, Johnston will also receive a courtesy call from Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin. He will also visit Penang. Commenting on the visit, Canadian High Commissioner to Malaysia Randolph Mank said the visit, which was at the request of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, would showcase and enhance Canada's political and trade relations with the country and will further strengthen Canada's academic and people-to-people links. "The visit will also highlight opportunities for greater collaboration on trade, investment, innovation and education," he said, adding that it would also enable the delegates to witness first-hand Canada's involvement in the country. During the visit, Johnston is scheduled to deliver a keynote address entitled 'Diplomacy of Knowledge: Education and Globalisation in the 21st Century' at the University of Malaya, Mank said. "His Excellency will raise Canada's profile as a commercial partner during meetings with Malaysian government officials and civil society in Kuala Lumpur and Penang. "In addition, His Excellency will reach out to students, researchers, university partners and industry representatives on building smart and caring innovative communities," he said. Mank said the Governor-General would also participate in a round-table discussion on innovation with experts from the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (Might) and meet the Canadian business community working in Malaysia. Johnston will also represent Canada on state visits to two other Southeast Asia countries namely Vietnam and Singapore from Nov 16 to 22. -- BERNAMA