WASHINGTON: Singapore and the United States said on Tuesday (Mar 29) that threats to the United Nations Charter and rules-based international order anywhere, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, “place peace and prosperity everywhere at risk”.
This includes the Indo-Pacific region, which already faces many complex challenges, said a joint statement from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Joe Biden following their meeting at the White House earlier in the day.
“Taken together, the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century demand deeper cooperation between us,” both leaders said in the statement.
Mr Lee is in the US for a seven-day working visit, his first under the Biden administration.
The two leaders sat down for a meeting at the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss various issues such as the Ukraine situation, America’s engagement in Asia-Pacific and new areas of bilateral cooperation, before issuing a joint statement.
The leaders also had a joint press conference, during which Mr Lee explained why Singapore took the strong stance it did.
He said that Singapore is a staunch supporter of international law and the UN Charter, which prohibits acts of aggression against a sovereign state. This is why the country had “strongly condemned” the unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine.
“The sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all countries, big and small, must be respected. The unprovoked military invasion of a sovereign country under any pretext is unacceptable,” he added.
Singapore’s actions to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia are hence based on principles that are fundamental to its survival and existence as an independent sovereign nation, he said.
Mr Lee noted that the war in Ukraine has implications for the Asia-Pacific region.
“There are potential flashpoints and contentious issues in our region too, which if not managed well, could escalate to open conflict. Countries with interests in the regions need to pursue all efforts to settle disagreements through peaceful means, so that we can avoid reaching the point of no return,” he said.
Therefore, it is important to keep open channels of dialogue between countries, including at the highest level. Doing so will help to manage developments so as to avoid conflict and prevent misreading of each other’s intentions, said Mr Lee.
Mr Biden, in opening remarks delivered before Mr Lee, said actions from various parts of the world show that “Putin’s war is not acceptable in nations in every region in the world”.
He described it as an attack on “principles that underpin peace and security and prosperity everywhere, including the Indo-Pacific”.
“Today, Singapore and the United States are united and sending a message to all nations – regardless of the size of population, they are equal in their rights on the global stage. They have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity, and determine their own future, free from violence and intimidation.”
The meeting between the two leaders follows news of Russian forces scaling down its military operations around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Asked by a reporter if this can be seen as the war possibly coming to an end, Mr Biden replied: “We’ll see. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We'll see if they follow through on what they're suggesting.”
In the meantime, the US is going to keep strong with sanctions and provide Ukraine with military capacity to defend themselves, while keeping a “close eye” on developments.
Both leaders also reaffirmed the “robust, enduring and multi-faceted” partnership between both countries and welcomed new areas of cooperation.
The latter includes Singapore’s signing of the Artemis Accords, the renewal and expansion of an agreement on infrastructure development, and the establishment of the United States-Singapore Cyber Dialogue.
“Prime Minister Lee welcomed President Biden’s strong commitment to engage the region and ASEAN," the joint statement added.
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This includes the Indo-Pacific region, which already faces many complex challenges, said a joint statement from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and US President Joe Biden following their meeting at the White House earlier in the day.
“Taken together, the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century demand deeper cooperation between us,” both leaders said in the statement.
Mr Lee is in the US for a seven-day working visit, his first under the Biden administration.
The two leaders sat down for a meeting at the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss various issues such as the Ukraine situation, America’s engagement in Asia-Pacific and new areas of bilateral cooperation, before issuing a joint statement.
The leaders also had a joint press conference, during which Mr Lee explained why Singapore took the strong stance it did.
He said that Singapore is a staunch supporter of international law and the UN Charter, which prohibits acts of aggression against a sovereign state. This is why the country had “strongly condemned” the unprovoked attack by Russia on Ukraine.
“The sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of all countries, big and small, must be respected. The unprovoked military invasion of a sovereign country under any pretext is unacceptable,” he added.
Singapore’s actions to impose sanctions and export controls on Russia are hence based on principles that are fundamental to its survival and existence as an independent sovereign nation, he said.
Mr Lee noted that the war in Ukraine has implications for the Asia-Pacific region.
“There are potential flashpoints and contentious issues in our region too, which if not managed well, could escalate to open conflict. Countries with interests in the regions need to pursue all efforts to settle disagreements through peaceful means, so that we can avoid reaching the point of no return,” he said.
Therefore, it is important to keep open channels of dialogue between countries, including at the highest level. Doing so will help to manage developments so as to avoid conflict and prevent misreading of each other’s intentions, said Mr Lee.
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Mr Biden, in opening remarks delivered before Mr Lee, said actions from various parts of the world show that “Putin’s war is not acceptable in nations in every region in the world”.
He described it as an attack on “principles that underpin peace and security and prosperity everywhere, including the Indo-Pacific”.
“Today, Singapore and the United States are united and sending a message to all nations – regardless of the size of population, they are equal in their rights on the global stage. They have a right to sovereignty and territorial integrity, and determine their own future, free from violence and intimidation.”
The meeting between the two leaders follows news of Russian forces scaling down its military operations around the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.
Asked by a reporter if this can be seen as the war possibly coming to an end, Mr Biden replied: “We’ll see. I don't read anything into it until I see what their actions are. We'll see if they follow through on what they're suggesting.”
In the meantime, the US is going to keep strong with sanctions and provide Ukraine with military capacity to defend themselves, while keeping a “close eye” on developments.
Both leaders also reaffirmed the “robust, enduring and multi-faceted” partnership between both countries and welcomed new areas of cooperation.
The latter includes Singapore’s signing of the Artemis Accords, the renewal and expansion of an agreement on infrastructure development, and the establishment of the United States-Singapore Cyber Dialogue.
“Prime Minister Lee welcomed President Biden’s strong commitment to engage the region and ASEAN," the joint statement added.
Continue reading...