Strait of Hormuz, areas of cooperation discussed in Vivian Balakrishnan’s visit to 4 Middle East nations
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Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan met the authorities from the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
PHOTOS: MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN/FACEBOOK
SINGAPORE – The situation in the Strait of Hormuz, including the right of unimpeded transit passage there, was among the topics discussed during Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s visit to four Middle Eastern countries from May 2 to May 5.
He visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he reaffirmed Singapore’s longstanding ties with its Gulf partners and exchanged views on regional developments, the Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on May 6.
Dr Balakrishnan also discussed areas of cooperation between ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council in meetings during this trip.
In the UAE, Dr Balakrishnan met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also managing director and group chief executive for the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, in Abu Dhabi.
He also met Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi.
They discussed opportunities to strengthen the Singapore-UAE Comprehensive Partnership in areas such as trade and investment, supply chain resilience, energy, the digital economy and civil defence, the MFA said.
In a Facebook post on May 3, Dr Balakrishnan said the UAE and Singapore “share a common interest in keeping trade flowing and strengthening resilience in a more fragmented world” as both nations are “small, open economies”.
“I expressed Singapore’s solidarity with the UAE following the recent attacks in the region and stressed the need for de-escalation,” said the minister.
In Oman, Dr Balakrishnan met Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi and Minister of the Royal Office Sultan bin Mohammed Al Nomani.
There, he conveyed Singapore’s appreciation for Oman’s facilitation of two repatriation flights from Muscat to Singapore on March 7 and 8, following the start of the US-Iran conflict on Feb 28.
Among other bilateral issues, the ministers also discussed efforts to deepen cooperation in areas such as logistics, energy security, maritime governance and the digital economy.
Describing Oman and Singapore as “like-minded partners in a complex, uncertain world”, Dr Balakrishnan said in a Facebook post on May 4: “As small, littoral states on opposite ends of the Indian Ocean, we are committed to keeping maritime trade flowing, safeguarding freedom of navigation, and upholding international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Oman has continued to play a constructive role amid regional tensions, supporting dialogue and de-escalation in the region.”
In Saudi Arabia, Dr Balakrishnan met its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, expressing Singapore’s appreciation “for Saudi Arabia’s swift support in facilitating our repatriation flights from Riyadh and Jeddah on March 10 and March 12, which enabled Singaporeans to return home safely from the region”, Dr Balakrishnan said in a Facebook post on May 5.
“I also thanked them for the meticulous and comprehensive arrangements to ensure the safety of all pilgrims performing the haj, including those from Singapore,” he added.
The two ministers also reaffirmed the importance of the existing Strategic Partnership between the two nations and discussed furthering ties in trade and investment, energy security, logistics and connectivity.
In Qatar, Dr Balakrishnan met the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
They discussed strengthening cooperation in economic resilience, defence and food and energy security.
In a Facebook post on May 6, Dr Balakrishnan said Qatar and Singapore are “longstanding, steadfast partners dependent on maritime access”, and added that they “reaffirmed the importance of unimpeded transit through the Strait of Hormuz, in line with international law”.
“We agreed on the need for de-escalation in the region and for all parties to exercise restraint, in order to resolve this conflict through negotiations in good faith.”