Minister K Shanmugam with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird (left) and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Hamrokhon Zarifi (right). [Photos: MFA]Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam, who is in New York for the 67th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, delivered Singapore’s statement to the General Assembly on Saturday, 29 September. He also had meetings with his counterparts from Tajikistan and Canada.
In his speech, Minister Shanmugam described Singapore’s efforts, within the Global Governance Group (3G) to strengthen the engagement with the G-20 as well as the general membership of the UN. Singapore will work with other countries to look for ways to strengthen and reform existing multilateral institutions such as the UN, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organisation, as this will help achieve greater efficiency.
Minister Shanmugam also called for the strengthening of the UN’s role in international crisis prevention and the mediation and settlement of disputes. This is why Singapore has consistently called for an improvement in the Security Council’s working methods. Singapore believes that the long-term goal of the UN should be effective systems of international law and resilient mechanisms for the peaceful settlement of disputes.
In light of the theme of the 67th General Assembly General Debate[1], Minister Shanmugam emphasised the importance to small states of a predictable, stable and rule-based international system. Singapore firmly believes in the importance of safeguarding the international rule of law, and takes the view that disputes, including those over territorial sovereignty, should be resolved peacefully and in accordance with international law.
With Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan Hamrokhon Zarifi, Minister Shanmugam discussed cooperation between Singapore and Tajikistan in international fora. The two ministers expressed their interest in exploring new areas of common interest and cooperation.
Minister Shanmugam and Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird had a wide-ranging discussion on various issues of common concern, including cooperation in ASEAN, the regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific, and interactions between the US and Canada in various regional and international fora. Minister Shanmugam welcomed Canada’s interest to increase its engagement of ASEAN, and expressed Singapore’s willingness to work with Canada to this end.
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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
30 SEPTEMBER 2012
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[1] The theme of the 67th GA General Debate is “The Peaceful Settlement of Disputes or Situations”