SINGAPORE'S relations with Malaysia have improved considerably under Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, said Foreign Affairs Minister George Yeo on Friday.
He told Parliament that although some bilateral issues had yet to be settled between the two countries, such as the maritime boundaries, relations between both nations were warm.
Wrapping up the debate on his ministry's budget, Mr Yeo said that last November, Foreign Minister Rais Yatim hosted the Singapore delegation for the Wisma Putra-Ministryof Foreign Affairs Games in Johor with great warmth.
'With the judgement of the ICJ (International Court of Justice), our bilateral dispute over sovereignty of Pedra Branca (Pulau Batu Puteh) has been resolved, but to be sure, to neither side's complete satisfaction,' he said.
He said maritime boundaries around Pedra Branca were, however, yet to be delineated.
Singapore hoped to do this expeditiously through the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Technical Committee in a constructive spirit, the minister said.
He said both sides had also been discussing the implementation of the Points of Agreement, which were on the development of railway land owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu in Singapore.
On Iskandar Malaysia, Mr Yeo said the Joint Ministerial Committee had met a number of times with good results.
He added that given the current economic crisis, it was all the more important for the two countries to cooperate for mutual benefit.
He noted that the recent decision to free up the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore air sector to competition had brought down fares. -- Bernama.
