KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 29- Malaysia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Australia to provide the framework and broad parameters for cooperation in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 which vanished on March 8.
The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft carrying 239 passengers and crew disappeared from the radar before its flight path was believed to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean.Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the MoU formed an important part of the existing cooperation between the two countries and reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment towards the search.
“In this regard, Malaysia will provide the necessary financial contribution towards the search efforts and match Australia’s commitment.“The combination of undersea search equipment, world-class experts and cutting edge technology that is being used will be our best chance of finding MH370 and we are hopeful in our prospects of doing so,” he said in a statement here.
Liow, who is leading the Malaysian delegation in Canberra, Australia signed the MoU with Australian Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss today.The Malaysian transport minister also held a tripartite meeting with Truss, and his counterpart from China.
Liow said the discussion during the tripartite meeting was productive and allowed the three parties to discuss the progress in the search for Flight MH370 and to chart the way forward.He said he was heartened by the openness and willingness of Australia and China who had provided Malaysia with immediate and ongoing assistance in the search for the missing flight.
“On behalf of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, the Malaysian Government and the people of Malaysia, I want to express my profound gratitude for the leadership role the Australian Government had played in this complex and challenging exercise, and to the Chinese Government for their ongoing support and resources dedicated to our efforts,” he added.
He also gave an assurance to the loved ones of the passengers and crew of the vanished Flight MH370 on resolute efforts to search for the aircraft and the provision of more regular updates and information related to the search as it became available.
“Again, Malaysia pledges its continued and unwavering support in response to the unprecedented nature and scale of this event through our financial commitment, technical expertise, equipment and stamina in our search for answers,” he said.
Flight MH370, which was carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members left the KL International Airport at 12.41am on March 8 and disappeared from radar about an hour later while over the South China Sea. It was to have arrived in Beijing at 6.30am on the same day.
A multinational search was mounted for the aircraft in the South China Sea and Andaman Sea before the Malaysian prime minister announced on March 24 that Flight MH370 ‘ended in the southern Indian Ocean’.
– BERNAMA
