PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Singapore are reopening discussions on long-standing issues such as water supply, maritime delimitation and airspace.
In fact, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the technical teams will also discuss the parameters of the issues.
“These are complex issues and our position is of course, as (Singapore) Prime Minister Lawrence has said, to deal with it holistically or in a comprehensive manner, so that some areas which are demanded by Singapore, some demanded by Malaysia, should be fully considered and the final settlement should be a win-win position.”
Anwar said this at the joint press conference with Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong after the delegation meeting in conjunction with the 11th Leaders’ Retreat, here today.
Anwar said the issue of the export of Sarawak’s energy to Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore was also further deliberated with his visiting Singaporean counterpart.
Anwar said the long-standing issues should not detract from any of both countries’ positive attitudes and positions but working together on the fundamentals such as economic, energy, digital, investments and trade.
“These negotiations have been going on for the last few decades. So I do not think we should wait for new decades to come. We can always do it, but not necessarily at the next annual retreat.
“We agree that on this quarterly basis, we should have a form of short meeting to review this and, in that manner, compel our technical team and experts to deal with it expeditiously,” he said.
Anwar said he and Wong also discussed the issue of the Flight Information Region (FIR), recognising the needs of Malaysia in terms of its connectivity with Sabah and Sarawak and also the requirement of Singapore to ensure that the performance and activities in Changi and Selangor are unaffected and will be further facilitated.
Meanwhile, Wong also acknowledged that these are long-standing issues and complex in nature, but both sides will continue to discuss these issues holistically and constructively within the overall context of a broader relationship.
