Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and the Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah hold talks at Istana Nurul Iman in Brunei, February 15, 2022. — Bernama pic
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Feb 15 — Malaysia and Brunei have agreed in principle to implement the air and land Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) initiative for cross-border movement between the two countries, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
He said the agreement was achieved as a result of discussions with the Sultan of Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman here today.
A proposal was also made for the implementation of four flights a week between Brunei and Malaysia when the VTL is carried out, he told a media conference before ending his first official visit to Brunei, which began yesterday.
Currently, there are only two flights a week between Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Seri Begawan, namely on Wednesday and Friday, because Brunei has yet to open its borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ismail Sabri said the relevant ministries would review the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the purpose of implementing the VTL initiative.
“I’ve asked the relevant ministries to discuss the matter at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow so that it can be implemented immediately I want it expedited,” he said.
Malaysia had previously implemented the VTL with Singapore and has also agreed for the implementation of the initiative with Indonesia.
The prime minister said apart from that, the Sultan of Brunei agreed to recognise the use of MySejahtera and BruHealth in both countries to facilitate system integration and use by the people of Malaysia and Brunei.
This cooperation, he said, was also crucial to smoothen the cross-border travel of people from both countries.
Ismail Sabri said that with the recognition, MySejahtera and BruHealth can be used in both countries. — Bernama