Singapore will not negotiate for safe passage through Strait of Hormuz.
SINGAPORE: Singapore will not negotiate for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, as doing so would undermine fundamental principles of international law, said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Tuesday (Apr 7).
Responding to a parliamentary question by Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi (WP-Aljunied) on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider paying a toll for its vessels, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that transit through such waterways is a right - not a privilege.
“There is a right of transit passage,” he said. “It is not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state, it’s not a licence to be supplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid.”
He emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz, like the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore, is a waterway used for international navigation. This right is codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which Singapore is a signatory.
Dr Balakrishnan added that the principle applies even to states that have not ratified UNCLOS, stating that it is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for them.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/strait-hormuz-safe-passage-vivian-balakrishnan-6040981
Responding to a parliamentary question by Member of Parliament Fadli Fawzi (WP-Aljunied) on whether Singapore would engage Iran or consider paying a toll for its vessels, Dr Balakrishnan stressed that transit through such waterways is a right - not a privilege.
“There is a right of transit passage,” he said. “It is not a privilege to be granted by the bordering state, it’s not a licence to be supplicated for, it is not a toll to be paid.”
He emphasised that the Strait of Hormuz, like the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore, is a waterway used for international navigation. This right is codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), to which Singapore is a signatory.
Dr Balakrishnan added that the principle applies even to states that have not ratified UNCLOS, stating that it is not a "get-out-of-jail-free card" for them.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/strait-hormuz-safe-passage-vivian-balakrishnan-6040981
31-35, M
