Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong hopes that he and his Malaysian counterpart Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will find a way to hold the annual Singapore-Malaysia leaders' retreat this year.

Quoting Lee, The Straits Times reported that the prime minister has managed to catch up briefly with Muhyiddin earlier today at a ceremony to resume work on the cross-border Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link between Woodlands and Johor Baru.

"We are two close neighbours and there's a lot that we need to talk together about, not least how we can get a safe flow of people between the two territories," Lee was quoted as saying.

It would be Singapore's turn to be the host country for the retreat.

Lee was in Malaysia in April last year when Malaysia was the host country.

According to the report, Lee said both countries are still in discussions on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project.

"I hope we'll be able to work something out, because the basic thought behind it is that Singapore and Malaysia are two major economies... and the more we can make it convenient, I think the more business we can do and the closer the two territories will be in terms of rapport, in terms of cooperation and friendship."

Malaysia's Senior Minister cum International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali on May 31 said both governments have agreed to resume discussions on the infrastructure project.

Mohamed Azmin said this decision was arrived at after both sides had mutually agreed to extend the deferment of the KL-Singapore HSR project to Dec 31, 2020.

On Sept 5, 2018, both governments had agreed to suspend the construction of the bilateral project until May 31, 2020 to find the best way forward for the project.

-- BERNAMA