PUTRAJAYA, June 12 — Malaysia and Singapore have agreed to accelerate resolutions on outstanding issues such as water supply and maritime boundary delimitation, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said issues related to the water deal are complex, but they must be resolved amicably without deterring both countries from exploring new avenues.
“There is no question that … we need to sell water to Singapore. Similarly, with the FIR (Flight Information Region), there is no question this is required by Changi (Singapore’s airport). The issue is to get the details to resolve (these issues). The faster it can be done, the better for the country,” he said at a joint press conference with his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong here today.
Anwar said the same approach should be taken for issues related to maritime boundary delimitation between both countries.
“I assured Prime Minister Lawrence that we will certainly insist that our staff work at a faster pace. It would be wonderful if we can resolve this before the bilateral meeting towards the end of the year,” he said.
Resolving outstanding issues between the two neighbours, said Anwar, could take some time, but there is firm commitment from both sides.
“… I am a bit ambitious, I want this to be showcased to the region and world, how good neighbours should behave and interact,” said Anwar.
Meanwhile, Wong said both countries’ commitment towards resolving outstanding issues should provide guidance for officers to continue constructive discussion.
“Even if we can’t resolve (the issues) completely, we can see very good progress by the time we meet at the (year-end) leaders’ retreat,” he said.
Wong said he had a productive discussion with Anwar, which lasted more than an hour and touched on new areas of cooperation to deepen ties.
Both leaders, according to him, had agreed to provide strategic direction to officers before they meet again during the leaders’ retreat, which will be hosted by Malaysia.
He said both countries are committed to establishing a more inclusive society based on good governance and social harmony, and tackle issues constructively while keeping overall relations between both neighbours positive.
— Bernama
