KUALA LUMPUR: Maritime border talks between Malaysia and Singapore continue in several areas, with all decisions based on international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
The Foreign Minister was responding to a question in Dewan Rakyat on the security situation in Batu Puteh waters and the steps that the government had and would take to address it
He said the Batu Puteh issue was governed via the 2008 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision, and was discussed through the annual platform of the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore.
"That is why both our countries have an annual leaders' retreat to negotiate on how we want to resolve the maritime boundary between Malaysia and Singapore," he said during the Minister's Question Time on Thursday (Jan 22).
Mohamad was responding to a supplementary question by Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) regarding the latest status of negotiations regarding Batu Puteh, Batuan Tengah and Tubir Selatan, which he said involved issues of sovereignty, national dignity and the people's trust.
Mohamad said the negotiations are ongoing and being managed well, including the latest discussion session held on Wednesday between the Maritime Affairs Department director-general and the Singaporean counterpart.
He said the negotiations were not focused on just one area, but rather involved several maritime border zones between the two countries, which required comprehensive scrutiny.
"This negotiation is not just one; there are many areas that are maritime border areas between the two countries. So we want to see that it is managed well," he said.
He said the negotiations were aimed at ensuring that the country's sovereign rights were not violated and that they took place in a good atmosphere between both parties.
Mohamad said any decision regarding the Malaysia-Singapore maritime boundary would be made in accordance with the international legal framework.
He said that for issues involving maritime demarcation, Malaysia made UNCLOS 1982 the main basis in the negotiation process.
According to him, Malaysia remained committed to legal principles in managing the negotiations, besides stressing the importance of defending the country's sovereignty and sovereign rights. - Bernama
