KUALA TERENGGANU, Jan 15 — Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said will lead a Malaysian delegation's 15-day visit to Antarctica beginning Saturday, organised by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry through the initiative of Yayasan DiRaja Sultan Mizan (YDSM).

A statement from the Mentri Besar's Office said the working visit was aimed at paving the way to assisting the government set up a research station there for joint research with the Instituto Antartico Chileno (INACH).

"The visit is initiated towards enabling Malaysia contribute to research on climate change which has become increasingly unpredictable.

"This scientific exploration visit is a follow-up to the visit by the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin to Antarctica in October 2011, in wanting to see more local universities involved in research in the ice-covered region," it state.

The statement also said that Universiti Malaysia Terengganu which would be involved in the upcoming visit, had already placed a researcher for three months at South Korea's research station in Antarctica.

Ahmad, when met by reporters, said it was the government's aim to provide a platform for local scientists and researchers to establish strategic cooperation with Chile so that Malaysia could contribute more meaningfully to the field.

He said the Terengganu government's involvement in this mission showed strong, pro-active support towards research efforts at the national and international levels and more importantly, towards creating a pool of highly credible and respected researchers.

Ahmad said he was expected to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the INACH and YDSM to pave the way for cooperation in the field of research in Earth's southernmost continent.

"With the signing of the MoU, we believe we will be able to set up a joint Malaysia-Chile research centre in Antarctica. The centre will enable more research exchange programmes between both countries' students and academic staff to take place," he said.

Chile will be the host for the Malaysian delegation who will be taken on a visit to the research station run by INACH in Antarctica. — Bernama