Bukittinggi, West Sumatra (ANTARA) - The municipal authority in West Sumatra's Bukittinggi has committed to enhancing its sister city partnership with the Malaysian city of Seremban, primarily to advance cultural and educational cooperation between the two cities.

Bukittinggi Deputy Mayor Marfendi received a visit from a Malaysian delegation at his official residence on Thursday (June 1, 2023) to discuss the cooperation potential.

"We are glad with the visit of our guests from Malaysia. The two regions were known as sister cities in the 1980s, and we will enhance the relations now," the deputy mayor stated.

He also expressed the hope that Bukittinggi will collaborate with Malaysia in more sectors, which would benefit both sides.

Meanwhile, Yusuf Harmain, a member of the Malaysian delegation, expressed gratitude for the warm welcome extended by the Bukittinggi authority and expressed the hope that cooperation between the two cities can be resumed as in the past.

"In the past, there was a lot of cooperation between Seremban and Bukittinggi, but it faded. We hope that after August (2023), after our (local) elections, we can forge the cooperation again," Harmain said.

The first step to resuming cooperation with Bukittinggi would be to invite a representative from the Bukittinggi cultural authority to Malaysia, he added.

Moreover, president of 1Malaysia Government Pensioners Club (Kupekmas), Omar Osman, who also joined the delegation, said that he had been longing to visit Bukittinggi, which has changed a lot in recent years.

"Bukittinggi is a beautiful city; the pensioners appreciated the development in Bukittinggi city. It is not enough for us to stay for merely a night in Bukittinggi," he added.

While expressing gratitude to the Bukittinggi mayor, who had delegated an official to welcome them, Osman said he is confident that the members of the delegation will relate the good side of Bukittinggi to others after returning home.

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Translator: Altas Maulana, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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