PUTRAJAYA: Wisma Putra, the foreign ministry, yesterday confirmed that the 14th Meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) has been postponed.
The meeting had been scheduled for today.
Wisma Putra said in a statement that Singapore had sought the postponement via a diplomatic note dated Jan 11.
It had been reported that Singapore wanted the meeting postponed because Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian had allegedly trespassed into Singapore waters on Jan 9 during a visit to Johor Bahru Port.
Osman had insisted that he did not trespass into Singapore waters and that all he did was to watch Malaysian security teams doing their job.
Wisma Putra said, however, that Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali would still meet his Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong and Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishan to discuss other bilateral issues.
“This demonstrates that ties between the two countries remain strong. The meeting will form the next positive step forward after the fruitful bilateral meeting held between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Malaysia and Singapore on Jan 8,” it said.
Wisma Putra said the two foreign ministers were in communication and agreed that both sides should remain calm and not sensationalise the matter.
“The ministry is confident that the current momentum of engagement between Malaysia and Singapore will continue and reiterates its commitment to strengthen bilateral relations with Singapore based on equality and mutual respect,” it added. – Bernama
