KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia hopes that having a direct flight between Kuala Lumpur and Sweden's capital, Stockholm, will help boost bilateral relations and trade and investment between the two countries, Malaysia's Ambassador to Sweden Badruddin Ab Rahman said. Currently, there are no direct flights between the two countries and travelers must transit in Bangkok before arriving in Malaysia. The ambassador said he hoped that airlines in Malaysia would revive the direct flights which had been halted a few years ago, in view of the rising trade between the two countries. Bilateral trade stood at RM2 billion for January to July 2012, an increase from the RM1.9 billion for the same period last year, he said. Badruddin encouraged Malaysians to explore the wide opportunities available in Sweden, which has a population of nine million, and cited tourism, investment and defence as viable sectors. A Swedish investment consultant with the government, currently on a fact-finding mission in Malaysia, told Bikyamasr.com that the idea of direct flights “would go a long way to making doing business between the two countries easier.” The consultant, who was not authorized to speak on behalf of the government, added that “there are numerous opportunities for investment and tourism between the two and by adding a direct flight, it would make this process easier.” Another positive development was the reopening of the Swedish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, after a closure of more than a year due to internal problems in Sweden, the ambassador added. According to Ab Rahman, some 120 Swedish companies had a presence in Malaysia, with an investment of more than RM10 billion, including automobile company Volvo. He hoped that Malaysian businesses would also begin to make in roads into the Swedish market in the near future.
