Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's minister for foreign affairs, has referred to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as "an old friend" of the republic, despite the occasional snags that occur in any friendships.
Batu Puteh, an islet off Johor that was at the center of a sovereignty dispute between the two nations, was one of these issues.
Balakrishnan stated that although the issue of sovereignty had been resolved, Malaysia had objected to Singapore's development efforts at the location. He stated that the work will be stopped in May 2022 in order to enable discussions regarding Malaysia's concerns.
According to Bernama, he stated, "We will manage our differences constructively and pragmatically, and no one problem will overwhelm the overall partnership."
Balakrishnan stated that Singapore was looking forward to hosting Anwar at the 10th leaders' retreat later this year.
Anwar said on December 14 that Malaysia will pursue "serious dialogue" with Singapore about Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Blanca in Singapore.
The International Court of Justice recognized Singapore sovereignty over Batu Puteh in 2014. Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's then-prime minister, withdrew Malaysia's appeal to reverse the judgement in 2017.
On October 9, 2012, the then-prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob informed the Cabinet that there may have been incompetence and oversight on the side of Mahathir over the Batu Puteh claim.
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