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SINGAPORE \u2013 Singapore and Malaysia will disagree occasionally on specific issues, but should not let these differences hinder their broader partnership, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam ahead of a four-day state visit to Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Both countries have taken the approach of addressing differences squarely rather than ignoring them, while always seeking to strengthen the overall relationship, which has built trust and goodwill over time, he said in a written interview with Malaysian news agency Bernama published on July 12.<\/p>\n
The President said his visit, at the invitation of Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, continues a longstanding tradition and underscores the importance of maintaining these ties and building understanding at all levels.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur partnership has been driven not just by a common heritage, but by mutual respect and understanding of each other\u2019s interests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has never been, and must never be, a purely transactional relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sultan Ibrahim made a state visit to Singapore in May 2024<\/span><\/a>, his first overseas state visit since he ascended to the throne in January that year.<\/p>\n President Tharman said it is no secret that the two neighbouring countries have had to sort out a number of sensitive and complex bilateral issues over the years.<\/p>\n This is to be expected between close neighbours with a shared past, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cYet, successive governments on both sides have consistently chosen not to be bogged down by these issues,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, we have sought to resolve them calmly, based on mutual respect and adherence to international law.\u201d<\/p>\n He did not elaborate on the issues.<\/p>\n The high levels of trust and familiarity between the leaders and officials of both sides, as well as the people, provide the space to manage disputes through dialogue and mutual understanding, said President Tharman.<\/p>\n He added that regional stability depends not on the absence of disputes, but on the discipline to manage them responsibly.<\/p>\n Singapore and Malaysia\u2019s example also reinforces the importance of dialogue, restraint, respect for sovereignty, and abiding by a rules-based order for ASEAN and the wider region, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is critical that we engage regularly, among leaders, politicians, officials, businesses, and peoples on both sides,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This had come naturally to earlier generations, and must now be encouraged and facilitated pro-actively through bilateral exchange programmes, youth leadership forums and community projects, among other things, he added.<\/p>\n He noted that the continued deepening and widening of friendships across the border is essential to a resilient relationship between both countries in the long term.<\/p>\n In an increasingly troubled world, the mutual trust built over 60 years will also be the bedrock upon which Singapore and Malaysia can deepen cooperation in various areas, from economic integration to renewable energy, to talent development, said President Tharman.<\/p>\n Amid the fracturing of the multilateral trading system and intensifying great power competition, he said both sides should go even further to deepen integration within the region, and among close neighbours.<\/p>\n For instance, both sides can join up their markets, develop greater energy and supply chain resilience by partnering with each other, and also tackle the challenges of climate change by cooperating in renewable energy and carbon credits.<\/p>\n He noted that Singapore and Malaysia have also made joint investments in the future for the benefit of their people, such as through the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and RTS Link.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n These are examples of how countries can pursue win-win cooperation by combining their respective strengths, he added.<\/p>\n Singapore and Malaysia can also work closely to maintain an open and rules-based international order, deepen ASEAN integration, and expand the grouping\u2019s partnerships, he said.<\/p>\n This will build on the momentum created by Malaysia\u2019s successful ASEAN chairmanship in 2025 which achieved significant milestones, such as welcoming Timor-Leste as the grouping\u2019s 11th member.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a shared interest in ensuring ASEAN\u2019s value as a coherent, reliable and trustworthy partner,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBy working together, Singapore and Malaysia can help ASEAN to preserve its central role in promoting regional peace, stability and growth, in the lead-up to Singapore\u2019s chairmanship year in 2027.\u201d<\/p>\n Quoting a Malay saying \u201cjiran sepakat membawa berkat\u201d, which means \u201cneighbours in agreement bring blessings\u201d, President Tharman said Malaysia and Singapore have found in each other a reliable friend and partner.<\/p>\n \u201cOur cooperation over 60 years has brought mutual benefit and development to both our countries,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should keep that basic belief in our minds: we are each better for working together, respecting, and having affection for each other. Let our hearts shake hands.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 Singapore and Malaysia will disagree occasionally on specific issues, but should not let these differences hinder their broader partnership, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=68076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/68077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=68076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=68076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=68076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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