KUCHING: President of Federal Republic of Germany Dr Frank-Walter Steinmeier began his maiden one-day visit to Sarawak by visiting the Kuching Wetlands National Park (KWNP) today.
He and his entourage arrived at Kuching International Airport (KIA) at 10.54 am and proceeded to Telaga Air, which is approximately 32 kilometres from Kuching city centre.
A news report by Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS) said that at 11.47 am, he and his wife, Elke Budenbender, arrived at Telaga Air’s Esplanade Jetty before departing for Kuching Wetlands National Park.
His arrival was greeted by Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Deputy Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh.
Also present were Minister of Tourism, Creative Industries and Performing Arts Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, federal Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, deputy state secretary (Operations) Datuk Hii Chang Kee, chief of Ceremony of the Malaysian Government Datuk Rozainor Ramli and Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Khirudin Drahman @ Hussaini.
Dr Frank and his delegation started the journey by taking a boat that took about 15 minutes to get to the national park.
Immediately upon arrival, they visited the national park for a distance of 1.5 kilometres, which took about 30 to 40 minutes to see the species of Terenggas tree that are there.
He then continued his visit to Sungai Lemidin and completed a tree planting ceremony as a symbol of his visit there.
Dr Frank and the group ended their tour by travelling back from Sungai Lemidin to Telaga Air Esplanade Jetty via Salak Island and left to continue their visit to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre.
His visit to Sarawak is the final stop on a three-day visit to Malaysia from February 16 to 18, as part of efforts to strengthen the already strong relationship.
To note, Germany is Malaysia’s largest trading partner among European Union (EU) countries.
For the record, Kuching Wetland National Park is one of the seven sites in Malaysia registered as a Ramsar Site (a wetland site designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, also known as “The Convention on Wetlands,”) with protection under forestry, state park and land laws, either as a permanent reserved forest, state park or wetland protected area.
It is the remnants of the former Sarawak Mangrove Forest Reserve, which spans 170 square kilometres.
The Wetlands National Park, located 30 kilometres from Kuching, was gazetted in 1992 and covers an area of 66.1 km square on the estuarine reaches of the Sibu Laut and Salak rivers.
The park encompasses ecosystems from the coast, the sea, and the freshwater.
