SINGAPORE – To secure a durable resolution to the Middle East conflict, it is vital for all parties to engage in negotiations in good faith, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
In a Facebook post on May 12, Dr Balakrishnan said he had a “good candid exchange of views” in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, where he expressed Singapore’s hope for diplomacy and dialogue to resolve the current conflict.
In the call, the ministers discussed their views on the long-term future of the Strait of Hormuz.
The strait has been effectively closed since the start of the Middle East conflict on Feb 28. Before, about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas flowed through it.
“Singapore’s consistent position is that all states should enjoy unimpeded right of transit passage through straits used for international navigation as set forth by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law,” Dr Balakrishnan wrote in his post.
He added that the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is critical to regional stability, global energy security and international trade.
“I also underscored the importance of Iran continuing to fulfil its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to ensure that its nuclear programme remains peaceful,” Dr Balakrishnan said.
The US, Israel and their allies have long accused Iran of seeking atomic weapons. Tehran has repeatedly denied this, but said it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes as a party to the treaty.