Vivian Balakrishnan stresses importance of free transit through Strait of Hormuz during Gulf visit
Dr Balakrishnan also expressed appreciation to Oman and Saudi Arabia for facilitating repatriation flights for Singaporeans in March.
by Ng Hong Siang · CNA · JoinRead a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
SINGAPORE: Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan reaffirmed the importance of unimpeded transit through the Strait of Hormuz, during a working visit to several Gulf states that ended on Tuesday (May 5), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said.
Dr Balakrishnan visited the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he also discussed areas of cooperation between ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
In the meetings with his counterparts - which took place amid a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran - Dr Balakrishnan reaffirmed Singapore's longstanding ties with its Gulf partners and "exchanged views on regional developments, including the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and the importance of upholding the right of unimpeded transit passage in the Strait", MFA said in a statement.
In the UAE, Dr Balakrishnan met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, and Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, who is also the managing director and group CEO of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company.
CNA Games
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Show More
Show Less
Dr Balakrishnan also held talks with the Minister of Foreign Trade Dr Thani Bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi in Dubai, MFA added. Both sides discussed opportunities to strengthen their comprehensive partnership in areas such as trade and investment, supply chain resilience, energy, the digital economy and civil defence.
In Oman, Dr Balakrishnan met Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Bin Hamad Bin Hamood Al Busaidi and Minister of Royal Office General Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Nomani.
The ministers talked about a range of bilateral issues, including efforts to deepen cooperation in areas including logistics, energy security, maritime governance and the digital economy.
Dr Balakrishnan conveyed Singapore's appreciation for Oman's facilitation of two repatriation flights for Singaporeans and their dependents from Muscat on Mar 7 and Mar 8.
He also thanked Saudi Arabia for its help in facilitating two other repatriation flights from Riyadh and Jeddah on Mar 10 and Mar 12, when he met Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud.
Dr Balakrishnan expressed Singapore's appreciation to the Kingdom for ensuring the safety and security of Singaporean pilgrims for the upcoming Haj.
Both ministers reaffirmed the importance of Singapore and Saudi Arabia's existing strategic partnership and explored ways to further ties in trade and investment, energy security, logistics and connectivity.
In Qatar, Dr Balakrishnan held talks with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defence Affairs Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Both sides discussed strengthening cooperation in economic resilience, defence and food and energy security.
Sign up for our newsletters
Get our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inbox
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app