SINGAPORE: Singapore鈥檚 ties with neighboring Malaysia could face a 鈥渄ownward spiral鈥� over a series of maritime and airspace disputes, the wealthy city-state鈥檚 foreign minister said on Monday, adding that he hoped they could be resolved amicably.
The disputes are the latest development in the neighbors鈥� long-running spat over part of the Singapore Strait, one of the world鈥檚 busiest shipping lanes.
Vivian Balakrishnan鈥檚 comments came after Singapore protested to Malaysia on Sunday over a state minister鈥檚 presence on a Malaysian vessel the island said was in its territorial waters illegally, and called off a planned meeting on commercial cooperation.
Malaysia鈥檚 recent actions have upset the status quo that had been in place for years, said Balakrishnan, who held a meeting last week with his Malaysian counterpart, Saifuddin Abdullah, where they agreed on steps to defuse the tension.
鈥淭hese actions did not bode well for our bilateral relationship,鈥� Balakrishnan told parliament. 鈥淭hey created the risk for a dangerous downward spiral of measures and countermeasures.
鈥淪ingapore remains committed to finding an amicable resolution through dialogue,鈥� he said, adding that if negotiations failed to produce an acceptable solution, Singapore was prepared to seek international dispute settlement.
In December, Singapore pushed back against a move by Malaysia to extend the limits of a port in its southern state of Johor, saying the new boundary encroached on its territorial waters, a statement the Malaysians called inaccurate.
Earlier, Malaysia told Singapore it intended to take back control of airspace over a part of Johor that Singapore had managed since 1974, following the introduction of a new landing system at Singapore鈥檚 Seletar airport.
The landing system required aircraft flying into the small Singapore airport to take a flight path over Malaysian airspace, to which Malaysia objected.
Singapore was once part of Malaysia but the two separated acrimoniously in 1965, clouding diplomatic and economic dealings for years.