AGs of Malaysia-Singapore should conduct discussions to resolve Batu Puteh issues - PM

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia's position towards issues related to Batu Puteh is that both country's Attorney-Generals in particular should conduct discussions to resolve them.

"Malaysia and Singapore should showcase how two great friends can try and resolve in a win-win situation," he said in a joint press conference with his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (Oct 30).

Both Prime Ministers met in Singapore today for the 10th Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat, the first since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Anwar, this needed to be done although both sides have discussed it over the past 12 months.

According to a joint statement issued after the Retreat, the leaders looked forward to the convening of the 1st Joint Meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Technical Committee (MSJTC) on the Implementation of the International Court of Justice Judgment on Batu Puteh (Pedra Branca), Middle Rocks, and South Ledge and the Committee for Boundary Delimitation (CBD).

It is pursuant to the Agreement between the Foreign Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia on March 14, 2019 (1st Joint MSJTC and CBD Meeting) to resolve outstanding bilateral maritime boundary delimitation issues, it said.

The statement said the leaders noted the good progress made at the 1st Meeting of the Technical Working Group on the Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore to Delimit Precisely the Territorial Waters Boundary.

This is in accordance with the Straits Settlements and Johore Territorial Waters Agreement 1927 (1995 Agreement), held in June 2023, it said.

It added that they looked forward to the convening of the 2nd Meeting of the Technical Working Group with a view to determining the actual location of the points of the international boundary pursuant to the 1995 Agreement.

-- BERNAMA