PUTRAJAYA, Dec 14 ― A regular cultural event to showcase artistes from both sides of the Causeway is on the cards, following the success of the Titian Budaya Cultural Festival in Kuala Lumpur which marked 50 years of bilateral ties.

After a leaders’ retreat yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Datuk Seri Najib Razak said both countries would like to organise such an event, which Lee said would further cultural cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia.

The two leaders proposed the event to be a triennial affair, starting with the leaders’ retreat in 2018.

Adding that bilateral relations must be more than just economic and transactional, Lee said: "Ultimately it is about friendship, friendship between the people, friendship and trust between the leaders. And art and culture play an important role here.”

Lee said the showcase is timely as both countries build on the success of Titian Budaya, which ran from November last year to January this year and brought together 400 participants from various art forms including music, theatre, dance and film. Speaking at the launch last year, Lee noted that there are "many touch points and points of engagement between our people”.

"Events like this help to enhance those opportunities and to engage and have an exchange of ideas or creative juices. And to remind ourselves of what we share together — our friendship, our mutual regard for cooperation — as we celebrate fifty years of relations between our two countries,” he said. ― TODAY